Indonesia kicks off presidential race as currency slumps

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Campaigning for Indonesia's presidential election in April kicked off on Sunday, pitting incumbent Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto.

Opinion polls show Widodo, whose down-to-earth style and ambitious infrastructure drive have made him popular with many Indonesians, well ahead of Prabowo.

But his bid for a second term is facing headwinds over his economic record, with the rupiah currency sitting at two-decade lows.

Some 186 million voters in the world's largest Muslim-majority country are expected to go to the polls on April 17, in an election which will also decide members of national and local parliaments.

Chiefs of various political parties take part in a declaration for a peace campaign at the National Monument in Jakarta, September 23, 2018. /VCG Photo

Analysts say campaigning is likely to focus on the economy, inequality, identity politics and rising intolerance across the sprawling archipelago of more than 260 million people.

Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi, surprised many Indonesians in August by choosing to run alongside conservative Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin.

Amin, 75, is chairman of the country's top Islamic authority the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

Indonesian vice presidential candidates Ma'ruf Amin (C) and Sandiaga Uno (L) sign a document during a peace declaration for the general election campaign at the National Monument in Jakarta, September 23, 2018. /VCG Photo

The pair will square off against Prabowo and former deputy Jakarta governor Sandiaga Uno, a businessman and private equity tycoon.

Prabowo, who lost to Widodo in 2014, was a top military figure in the chaotic months before dictator Suharto was toppled by student protests in 1998.

Pundits say Widodo, who has hired billionaire Inter Milan chairman and minority owner Erick Thohir as his campaign manager, is most vulnerable when it comes to the economy and inequality.

Indonesia's currency has slumped in recent weeks, falling to levels not seen since the country was embroiled in a region-wide financial crisis that sparked economic ruin and the street protests that led to the downfall of Suharto.

(Cover: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (L) and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto applaud as they attend a peace declaration for the upcoming general election campaign at the National Monument in Jakarta, September 23, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP