Ganesh Kendale
Prabowo Subianto, former defense minister, was sworn in as the eighth president of Indonesia on Sunday in Jakarta.
Subianto took his oath on Quran in a ceremony attended by lawmakers and international dignitaries, with thousands of supporters cheering in the nation’s capital.
Leaders and officials from over 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Korea, China, Australia, and several Southeast Asian nations, attended the oath-taking ceremony.
Subianto has previously faced allegations of human rights abuses during Indonesia’s military dictatorship.
Subianto, 73, was a rival of former President Joko Widodo and contested against him in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. However, Widodo appointed Subianto as defense minister after his reelection, leading to an alliance despite their political differences.
During his campaign, Subianto promised to continue Widodo’s policies, such as building a new capital city and restricting raw material exports to boost domestic industry.
Supported by Widodo, Subianto won the February presidential election by a large margin.
