Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo[a][b] (born 17 October 1951) is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and former military officer who has served as the eighthpresident of Indonesia since 2024. He was previously the 26thminister of defense under PresidentJoko Widodo from 2019 to 2024. Prabowo is Indonesia's third president to have a military background afterSuharto andSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono and is the oldest first-term president in Indonesian history.
Prabowo graduated from theIndonesian Military Academy (Akademi Militer Nasional) in 1970 and primarily served in the Special Forces (Kopassus) until he was appointed to lead the Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) in 1998. Later that same year, he was discharged from the military and subsequently banned from entering theUnited States for allegedly committing human rights abuses.[2][3][4][5][6]
On 10 October 2021, Gerindra announced Prabowo as their candidate in the2024 presidential election.[14] On 12 August 2022, Prabowo announced that he accepted Gerindra's nomination.[15] Prabowo declared victory in the election on 14 February 2024, as early unofficial polling showed him with a lead in the first round of voting.[16] On 20 March, the General Election Commission (KPU) certified the results and declared him as thepresident-elect of Indonesia.[17] TheConstitutional Court (MK) confirmed his status on 22 April 2024.[18][19][20] Prabowo wassworn in as the 8th president of Indonesia on 20 October 2024.
Prabowo has two older sisters, Bianti Djojohadikusumo, who was born in 1946 and Maryani Djojohadikusumo, who was born in 1948.[24] His only brother,Hashim Djojohadikusumo, was born in 1953.[24] Prabowo's eldest sister, Bianti, is married toJ. Soedradjad Djiwandono, Governor of Bank Indonesia from 1993 until 1998, whilst her sister, Maryani, was married to a French expatriate entrepreneur, Didier Lemaistre who died in 2018.[24] Prabowo's brother, Hashim, is one of the wealthiest businessmen in Indonesia with assets across the globe from Indonesia to Europe and North America. Due to his father's political exile borne from differences with Sukarno in the 1960s, they lived in self-exile, notably in countries such as Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. Henceforth, Prabowo and his siblings have a cosmopolitan background.[25] During his high school years, he studied atVictoria Institution inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[26] Between 1966 and 1968, the family lived in London, where Prabowo attended and graduated from the American School.[27][28] Sumitro subsequently encouraged his son to attend a military academy. According to peers and observers, Prabowo was talented with a passion for stratagems and had an appetite for political power.[22]
Sumitro himself came from an elite background. His father,Margono Djojohadikusumo, was the founder of the country's first state bankBank Negara Indonesia (BNI), the first leader of Indonesia's provisionalSupreme Advisory Council (DPA), and a member of theInvestigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK) that drafted the steps for Indonesia's independence.[29] With the pedigrees of his father and grandfather, Prabowo is the third generation of a family that has served high positions in Indonesia since its establishment in 1945.
In 1976, Prabowo served in theIndonesian Army Special Forces Command (Kopassus) and was assigned as the commander of Group 1Komando Pasukan Sandhi Yudha (Kopassandha), which was one of the Indonesian Army's Nanggala commando units inEast Timor, the formerPortuguese territory thatIndonesia had invaded the previous year.[31] Prabowo, then 26 years old, was the youngest Nanggala commander.[31] Prabowo led the mission to capture the vice president ofFretilin, who was the first prime minister ofEast Timor,Nicolau dos Reis Lobato.[31] Guiding Prabowo was Antonio Lobato – Nicolau's younger brother. On 31 December 1978, Prabowo's company found and fatally shot Nicolau in the stomach as he was being escorted inMaubisse, fifty kilometres south ofDili.[31]
In 1981, Captain Inf. Prabowo with Major Inf. Luhut Binsar Panjaitan was sent by the TNI to attend Anti-terror Training in GSG-9 Germany, and after graduate from the course, TNI forming the first anti-terror unit in Indonesia, the Detasemen 81 Anti Teror under the Kopassus. With Luhut as the detachment commander and Prabowo as the vice-commander.
In 1983, it was claimed that Prabowo commanded the special forces responsible for theKraras massacres in East Timor.[32] The survivors of these massacres were locked up in a concentration camp guarded by Prabowo's men, where many died of starvation and ill-treatment.[33] Prabowo claimed he was nowhere near the Viqueque district when the massacre happened, and neither the UN nor the government of Timor Leste have ever proffered charges of human rights violations against him.[34] Jose Manuel Tesoro, writing for Asiaweek in 2000, contacted four separate non-governmental organizations including TAPOL in London; Solidamor in Jakarta; the HAK Foundation, headquartered in Dili; and the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) in New York, and they could not provide any eyewitness reports, transcripts of intercepted communications, leaked papers, or anything that could substantiate Prabowo's involvement.[35][32]
Indonesian Army's Nanggala commando unit inEast Timor led by Prabowo
In 1985 Prabowo attended the Advanced Infantry Officers Course atFort Bragg, in the United States for commando training.[36] In the early 1990s, as the commander of Kopassus Group 3, the now Major General Prabowo attempted to crush theEast Timorese independence movement by using irregular troops (hooded "ninja" gangs dressed in black and operating at night) and, in main towns and villages, militias trained and directed by Kopassus commanders. Human rights abuses rose. The Army's 1997 campaign was called Operation Eradicate.[37]
Prabowo as Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces Command and Staff School (Sesko ABRI) in his uniform with multiple decorations
In 1996, Prabowo ledOperation Mapenduma in the mountainous terrain ofPapua. The goal of the operation was the release of 11 scientific researchers who had been taken hostage by theFree Papua Movement (OPM). The researchers were five Indonesians, four Britons, one Dutchman and his pregnant German wife. Two of the Indonesian male hostages were killed shortly before the rescue operation. The mission involved covert support from British Military Attaché and SAS veteran Colonel Ivor Helberg.[38] Following the hostage transfer, Kopassus under Prabowo began a reprisal campaign against villages perceived to support OPM, in one incident at Geselema village, attacking the villagers with a military helicopter disguised as aRed Cross helicopter.[39]
Less than three months after his appointment as head of Kostrad, on the first day of theMay 1998 riots, Prabowo urged the commander of theIndonesian National Armed Forces (ABRI), GeneralWiranto, to let him bring his Strategic Reserve units from outside Jakarta into the city to help restore order.[42] Hundreds of men trained by Kopassus (Prabowo's former command) were flown fromDili toYogyakarta in chartered planes, and then on to Jakarta by train.[43] Prabowo publicly urged Indonesians to join him to fight "traitors to the nation".[44] On the morning of 14 May, Kopassus troops escorted young thugs fromLampung in southern Sumatra into the capital.[45] Thus Prabowo was accused of using his contacts in his former command to import and create trouble, while Wiranto had declined to give Prabowo's current command, Kostrad, permission to quell the existing trouble, in line with classic Javanese tactic to stir chaos to discredit a rival and/or seize power.[43]
Troops under Prabowo's command kidnapped and tortured at least nine democracy activists in the months before theMay 1998 riots.[46] In one testimony from Andi Arief, a former detainee told of being tortured for days in an unidentified location, allegedly a military camp where most of their time was spent blindfolded, while being forced to answer repeated questions, mainly concerning their political activities. The abuse included being punched, terrorised physically and mentally, and given electric shocks.[47] Later, in 2009, two of the nine men were candidates forGerindra, Prabowo's political party, and another served as his media adviser.[48] By 2024, six out of the nine kidnapped (including Arief) have either worked for Prabowo, or backed him for the presidency.[49] Prabowo was also suspected of organising thekidnappings of another 13 activists (all of whom remain "missing") between February 1997 and May 1998.[50]
Later investigations into the May riots revealed that violence in Jakarta was the result of an internal struggle within the military elite to become Suharto's successor.[51] Many believed Prabowo, as Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) commander, sought to become his father-in-law's successor and coveted the commander of the Armed Forces position held by General Wiranto, who was favoured to succeed Suharto. Together with Operations Commander for Greater Jakarta (Panglima Komando Operasi Jakarta Raya, Pangkoops Jaya) Major GeneralSjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Prabowo aimed to terrorise opponents of the government and to show that Wiranto was "an incompetent commander who could not control disorder".[52][53] During August and September, the fact-finding team interviewed Prabowo, Sjafrie, and other military commanders regarding their movements during the Jakarta riots. Prabowo asserted that he was unsure of the precise movements of military forces in the capital and deferred to Sjafrie.[54] In its final report, the fact-finding team suspected that, on the night of 14 May, Prabowo met with several Armed Forces and prominent civilian figures at the Kostrad headquarters to discuss organization of the violence.[55] However, this was later refuted by several people who attended the meeting, including prominent human rights lawyerAdnan Buyung Nasution and Joint Fact-Finding Team member,Bambang Widjojanto.[56] Further testimonies by Prabowo[57] in the years following the investigation contradicted the team's report and led to scepticism of the team's allegations.[58]
On 21 May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation from the presidency and Vice PresidentB. J. Habibie took over as president. On the afternoon following Habibie's inauguration as president, Prabowo demanded of Habibie that he be put in charge of the army in place of Wiranto. However, Habibie and Wiranto actually dismissed Prabowo from his position as Kostrad commander, and the following day, announced Wiranto's appointment as minister of defense and security as well as commander of theIndonesian Army, which resulted in Prabowo's dismissal. There were two versions of how this happened: the first version states that a furious Prabowo went to the Presidential Palace carrying a gun and a truck with his Kostrad troops. Because he was prevented from entering Habibie's office, he went to Suharto, who instead reprimanded him.[59][60][61] Meanwhile, another version states that Prabowo was dismissed from his post because he was suspected of carrying out a coup against Habibie.[62] It is said that after Habibie's inauguration, Wiranto reported that there was movement from Kostrad troops appearing around Habibie's residence. Habibie then ordered Prabowo to be dismissed from his post just before sunset in that day.[63][64][65] However, Prabowo was later visited by Wiranto at his home on the weekend of 23 or 24 May and then reassigned to a non-combat role at the Armed Forces Command and General Staff College inBandung.[66]
Following an ABRI investigation in August 1998, theDewan Kehormatan Perwira (Officers Council of Honor) found Prabowo guilty of "misinterpreting orders" in the kidnapping of nine anti-Suharto activists in 1998.[67] Prabowo acknowledged responsibility for the kidnapping of the nine activists,[68] and was discharged honorably from military service in November.[69] He and Wiranto denied that the discharge was a result of disciplinary action.[70] Later he went into voluntary exile inJordan[70] where he knew that country's new young King Abdullah as a fellow commander of special forces.[68] In an interview withAsiaweek magazine in 2000, Prabowo said "I never threatened Habibie. I was not behind the riots. That is a great lie. I never betrayed Suharto. I never betrayed Habibie. I never betrayed my country. There was a certain group that wanted to make me a scapegoat, maybe to hide their involvement."[67] Human rights groups have long questioned Prabowo's eligibility to run for president, noting that he was discharged from the Army in August 1998[c] for "misinterpreting orders" in the abduction of the democracy activists. While that was the military's official statement, observers have long believed that it was a coup conspiracy that saw Prabowo, then the commander of the Army Strategic Reserves, given his marching orders.[71]
As a2014 presidential candidate, Prabowo's past came under renewed scrutiny, with many organizations calling for him to step down. On 19 April, he was criticized by a poet made by Fahmi Habcyi which linked him to the disappearance of Widji Thukul and urged him to return Thukul as his wife is devastated hoping for her husband to return.[72] A coalition, which consisted of Imparsial, Kontras, the Setara Institute, and the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), combined under the Civil Society Coalition Against Forgetting, visited theNational Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta on 7 May 2014 to urge the commission to re-investigate Prabowo.[73] A 27 June 2014 report indicated that an investigative journalist,Allan Nairn, had been threatened with arrest "for revealing the former general's role in human rights abuses."[74]
During the 2024 presidential debate on 12 December 2023, Prabowo admitted implicitly that he hadBudiman Sudjatmiko kidnapped, a violation of human rights, later Sudjatmiko had become one of his spokesperson.[75] Prior to the debate, Prabowo also admitted to Sudjatmiko, that he had released all activists he had kidnapped but didn't know of their later fates after released.[76] Explaining his decision, Budiman claimed people changed after 25 years, both him and Prabowo "moved to the middle."[49]Maria Catarina Sumarsih, whose son was shot dead during theSemanggi shootings on 13 November 1998, said that Prabowo was responsible for the tragedy.[77]
After being discharged from the military, Prabowo joined his brotherHashim Djojohadikusumo's business. He purchased Kiani Kertas, a paper pulp and plantation company based in Mangkajang,East Kalimantan.[78] Prior to Prabowo's purchase, Kiani was owned byBob Hasan, a businessman close to former PresidentSuharto.[78] Today, Prabowo's Nusantara Group controls 27 companies in Indonesia and abroad. Prabowo's companies include Nusantara Energy (oil and natural gas, coal), Tidar Kerinci Agung (palm oil plantations) and Jaladri Nusantara (fishery industry).[79] Prabowo rebranded Kiani Kertas to Kertas Nusantara. The company was established in 1990 and is part of the Nusantara Energy. It controls an area of 3,400 hectares (8,400 acres) used for paper mills, employee housing, private schools, and various company facilities.[80] Kiani has been awarded ISO 900–2005 status as one of the highest quality management companies. It is reported that Kiani Kertas has been experiencing financial difficulties, and in early 2014, workers took to the streets to demand their wages which had not been paid in five months.[81]
Prabowo was the wealthiest presidential candidate in the 2009 election, with assets of Rp 1.5 trillion (about US$150 million) and US$7.5 million.[82]
In 2007, PT Ridlatama, whose majority stakeholder was British-based Churchill PLC, conducted a geo-survey ofeastern Kalimantan forcoal. Two months after the survey yielded positive results, East Kutai officials granted mining licenses to Nusantara Energy (a subsidiary of the Nusantara Group, a conglomerate owned by Prabowo's family) to operate in the area surveyed by Ridlatama. In 2010, Ridlatama's license was revoked, effectively completing Nusantara's take over of Churchill's operations. Churchill appealed to the Supreme Court of Indonesia but lost the case. In 2012, Churchill filed a case against the government of Indonesia at theInternational Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, demanding $2 billion in compensation. Indonesia argued that ICSID had no authority to arbitrate. In 2014 ICSID ruled that it had the authority and the case is still ongoing.[83][84][85][86]
In 2014, the regent of East Kutai,Isran Noor, publicly endorsed Prabowo as a presidential candidate.[87] He also considered pressing criminal charges against Churchill, alleging that Churchill forged its license.[88]
The Indonesian Farmers' Association (HKTI) was established in 1973 to advocate for the farmers' rights. Prabowo was elected President of HKTI on 5 December 2004,[89][90] and he was reappointed in 2010 for a second term.[91]
The Indonesian Traditional Market Traders Association (APPSI) is a non-profit organization advocating for the welfare of traders in Indonesia's traditional markets. Prabowo was elected as president of APPSI in 2008.[92] As a chairman of the organization, Prabowo often calls for the government to limit hypermarkets by regulating their distances so as not to harm small traders. "So far, traditional market traders have always been ignored, so that when a modern market was established, the capital owners of the market traders had to be willing to be disbanded due to demolition," said Prabowo.[93]
Prabowo opening the 2011pencak silatSEA Games tournament held inTaman Mini,Jakarta. He is the chairman of Indonesia'spencak silat organization, the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association.
Pencak silat is one of Indonesia's traditional martial arts. The Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) oversees the regulation of the sport in Indonesia, develops athletes, and organises tournaments. Prabowo was elected as president of the IPSI in 2004 and was re-elected in 2012 for a third consecutive term.[94]
At the2011 SEA Games in Jakarta,pencak silat won the overall championship by winning 9 of the 18 events competed.[95] The IPSI's achievements under Prabowo's chairmanship were noted at the2018 Asian Games, wherepencak silat succeeded in contributing to 14 of the 31 gold medals won by the Indonesian contingent.
The Indonesian Advocacy Service for Justice and Peace (Padma) in the East Nusa Tenggara region assessed that Prabowo played a major role in the release of Wilfrida Soik from the death penalty at the Kota Bahru Court,Kelantan, Malaysia.[97] Prabowo appointed Malaysian lawyer Tan Sri Mohammad Syafei to defend Wilfrida Soik. Wilfrida is a worker from East Nusa Tenggara who was sent illegally. Wilfrida was sentenced to death for killing her employer, Yeap Seok Pen, on 7 December 2010.[98]
Using his connections to President Suharto, Prabowo and his brother worked to silence journalistic and political critics in the 1990s. Hashim unsuccessfully pressuredGoenawan Mohamad to sell his outspoken and bannedTempo magazine to him.[99] As a lieutenant colonel, Prabowo invitedAbdurrahman Wahid to his battalion headquarters in 1992 and warned him to stick to religion and to stay out of politics, or face unspecified actions if he continued to oppose the president.[100] He later warned the intellectualNurcholish Madjid (Cak Nur) to resign from the KIPP, the election monitoring unit set up by Goenawan Mohamad, which armed forces commanderFeisal Tanjung had denounced as "obviously unconstitutional."[101]
In 2004, Prabowo was one of five contenders in the2004 Golkar Party National Convention [id] vying to becomeGolkar party's presidential candidate. He received the lowest number of votes, just 39, and was eliminated in the first round.[102] The second round of voting was won byWiranto. After finishing last in the party convention, Prabowo served as a member of the Golkar Advisory Council until his resignation on 12 July 2008.
In February 2008, Prabowo's inner circle, includingFadli Zon,Muchdi Purwopranjono, and Prabowo's younger brotherHashim Djojohadikusumo, along with a few others established theGerindra Party. Prabowo served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Central Leadership Council (DPP). He was later appointed general chairman of the party after the death of the party's previous chairman Suhardi in 2014.[103]
In May 2009, Gerindra nominated Prabowo for the presidency in the2009 elections.[104] However, having won 26 out of 560 seats in the Indonesian parliament, the party did not have the required numbers, and Prabowo ran as a vice-presidential candidate toMegawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first presidentSukarno. Prabowo and Megawati signed the Batu Tulis Agreement, which stated that:[105]
PDI-P and Gerindra nominated Megawati as presidential candidate and Prabowo as vice-presidential candidate in the 2009 elections.
If elected, Prabowo can control Indonesia's economic programs and policies which are "based on the principles of standing on one's own feet, being sovereign in the political field, and having a national personality in the cultural field within the framework of a presidential system"
Prabowo can determine who will be Minister of Forestry, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Finance, Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Minister of Industry, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Minister of Law and Human Rights, and Minister of Defense.
The government that is formed will support the PDI-P's people's program and the Gerindra's eight action programs for the prosperity of the people.
Funding for the 2009 elections will be covered 50% by Megawati and 50% by Prabowo.
Megawati shall back Prabowo as 2014 presidential election candidate.
The pair, referred to colloquially by the Indonesian media asMega–Pro, earned 27% of the vote and lost toSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate, economistBoediono.[106] The results of the KPU's manual calculation, which were announced on 25 July 2009, were not much different from the results of thequick count. Megawati and Prabowo were absent at the announcement of the official tally even though Law No. 42 of 2008 concerning Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections mandated each pair of candidates to be present in determining the official results of the presidential election.[107]
Prabowo accepting theGerindra Party's nomination rally for the 2014 presidential election in Lembah Hambalang on 17 March 2012[108]
In November 2011, Prabowo announced his intention to run in the2014 presidential election.[8] Surveys published by the Center for Policy Studies and Strategic Development (Puskaptis)[109] and by the Indonesian Survey Institute published on 23 February 2012[110] gave him the lead – but observers and activists cast doubt on the polls.[111]
In March 2012, Gerindra named Prabowo its 2014 presidential candidate.[108] The party's slogan was then changed toGerindra Menang Prabowo Presiden (Gerindra Wins, Prabowo Becomes President).[112] Prabowo said he would run an investment-friendly administration if he won and that Indonesia needed more energy exploration. Furthermore, he said he had been in close contact with labour unions and believed rising worker discontent could be managed with a wise national budget.[113] He promised to use military-style efficiency to push through chronically delayed infrastructure projects, as well as to create jobs in the archipelago's backwaters by improving agricultural productivity.[114] Another pillar to Prabowo's platform was that he was solidly secular, and his party planned to protect the rights of minority religious groups in the Muslim-majority country.[114]
According to numerous quick counts afterthe 9 April legislative election, Gerinda came in third place, positioning Prabowo as one of two leading presidential candidates for the election to be held 9 July, the other being Jakarta governor,Joko Widodo.[115] On Tuesday, 20 May 2014,Golkar, along with theUnited Development Party (PPP), theNational Mandate Party (PAN), theProsperous Justice Party (PKS), and theCrescent Star Party (PBB), officially endorsed Prabowo to run for the 2014 presidential election; the coalition collected 48.9% of votes and 52.1 seats in the parliament.[116] The day before, Prabowo had picked former Coordinating Minister for EconomicsHatta Rajasa as his vice-presidential running mate.[117]
On 22 July 2014, the day that the KPU was due to announce its official tally, Prabowo withdrew from the race after having insisted on his victory since the initial quick counts were released, although the majority showed Jokowi ahead. He attributed this withdrawal to Indonesia "failing in its duty to democracy" because of "massive cheating that is structured and systematic,"[118] and stated that he and Hatta "exercise our constitutional right to reject the presidential election and declare it unconstitutional".[119] His speech, aired live, implied he would challenge the results in theConstitutional Court.[118] Later reports indicated confusion over whether Prabowo had resigned from the election or simply rejected the count.[120]
According to Douglas Ramage of the Jakarta-based Bower's Asia Group, this was the first time sinceReformasi began in 1998 that the legitimacy of an election was questioned; he declared the country was entering "uncharted territory."[119] The legality of a Prabowo challenge is questionable, as – if he withdrew – he is no longer considered a presidential candidate.[119] If he can make the challenge, according toThe Jakarta Post, the gap between the two is sufficient to make such a challenge difficult.[121] Under the presidential election law, Prabowo could face up to six years in prison and a 100 billion rupiah ($10 million) fine for withdrawing.[118][119] Later that evening, Joko Widodo was officially announced as president and began to receive congratulations from world leaders.[122]
Following the announcement, the value of theIndonesian rupiah dropped by 0.3%, and theJSX Composite fell by 0.9%.[120] Observers denied Prabowo's allegations of cheating, finding that the elections were "generally fair and free;" Maswadi Rauf of theUniversity of Indonesia stated that there was "no sign of significant fraud," and that Prabowo's withdrawal simply reflected "the real attitudes of the elite, who are not yet ready to accept losing."[123] On 21 August 2014, the Indonesian Constitutional Court rejected his claim of fraud, confirming his election loss.[124]
On 12 April 2018, Prabowo announced he would contest the2019 presidential election if he could obtain sufficient support from other political parties.[125] Indonesian media had speculated on whether Prabowo would become a presidential candidate or a "king-maker" giving his support to another candidate.[126] Prabowo's brother Hashim in March 2018 said health and logistical factors had to be considered before the party announces a presidential candidate.[127]
In April 2018,John McBeth reported Maritime Coordinating MinisterLuhut Binsar Pandjaitan had held a series of meetings with Prabowo, culminating in the proposal of a joint Jokowi-Prabowo ticket for the 2019 election. Luhut reportedly lost his enthusiasm after Prabowo allegedly said he would want to be in charge of the military and seven seats in any new cabinet.[128] Fadli Zon denied Luhut and Prabowo had discussed politics, claiming they merely spoke about Europe's move to limit imports of Indonesianpalm oil. Gerindra official Andre Rosiade also dismissed the report as a hoax.[129]
Prabowo and former Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo on 11 October 2019
On 10 August 2018, Prabowo registered at the KPU office for the 2019 presidential election withSandiaga Uno as his running mate and with the support of Gerindra, PKS, PAN, the Democratic Party andBerkarya Party.[10] TheDemocratic Party had wanted Prabowo to chooseAgus Harimurti Yudhoyono as his running mate.[130] Following the election, 'quick counts' conducted at polling stations by independent institutions authorised by the government indicated Jokowi had won by a margin of about 10%, but Prabowo claimed victory, insisting a real count by his side showed he received 62% of the vote.[131] His unsubstantiated claims of widespread cheating prompted his supporters to stage protests in Jakarta, resulting in riots that left eight people dead and 737 injured.[132][133] The Constitutional Court in June 2019 unanimously rejected Prabowo's appeal against the election result.[134]
On 14 July 2019, Prabowo finally conceded to Jokowi in a train ride atJakarta MRT, congratulated Jokowi and apologized for criticizing him during the campaign trail much to the criticism of his upset supporters who expressed that Prabowo should remain as part of the opposition.[135][136] His own party Gerindra eventually joined Jokowi'sOnward Indonesia Coalition on 21 October 2019 with Prabowo himself appointedMinister of Defense on 23 October 2019, therefore joining Jokowi's cabinet.[137][138]
On 7 January 2023, Prabowo launched his third presidential campaign for the2024 presidential election.[139] He is running as president, together withGibran Rakabuming Raka (the eldest son ofJoko Widodo, the former President of Indonesia), as his vice-presidential candidate. Both he and Gibran registered at the KPU office on 25 October 2023 with the support of Gerindra, Golkar, PAN, PBB, the Democratic Party,Gelora Party,Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) andGaruda Party.[140] Both he and Gibran's candidacies were challenged in theConstitutional Court due to age requirements. In Prabowo's case, a lawsuit was filed against him due to his old age (Prabowo was 71 at the time of announcing his candidacy) and having announced his candidacy for the third time.[141] The Supreme Court ruled to reject the lawsuit.[142]
In November 2023, Prabowo called for "rebalancing" where, in the past decades, Indonesia looked to the West; now they should learn from the East likeChina,India,Japan andSouth Korea.[143] Prabowo entertained the idea of Indonesia joining BRICS if it is advantageous for Indonesia's economy, citing BRICS' nature as an economic bloc, not a geopolitical one.[144]
On 14 February 2024, in an unofficial report, Prabowo succeeded in leading three voting lines by getting 58% of the vote.[145] Prabowo went on to win the quick count conducted by all surveys and called for unity as he pledged to be president for all Indonesians and will form a government that will be led by "the best sons and daughters of Indonesia."[146] Despite this, he also told his supporters to calmly but cautiously wait for the official results from KPU.[146]
On 20 March 2024, theGeneral Elections Commission (KPU) announced Prabowo's victory, having received over 96 million votes. Prabowo and his vice-presidential candidate, Gibran Rakabuming, they were sworn in on 20 October 2024.[147]
On 22 April 2024, the Constitutional Court rejected all legal challenges against the results of the presidential election, allowing the KPU to declare the Prabowo-Gibran tandem the winner.[148][149][150]
Official portrait of Prabowo as minister of defense, 2019Inauguration of Prabowo as minister of defense, 2019
On 23 October 2019, Prabowo was inaugurated as Indonesia's Minister of Defense by president Joko Widodo.[137] He was aided bySakti Wahyu Trenggono as Deputy Minister of Defense. According to Jokowi, Prabowo got the job because "Indeed, he has a lot of experience there."[151] Jokowi clarified his decision to appoint Prabowo was to build "democracy based on mutual cooperation" and said it is for the good of the country,[152] while Prabowo said he express his desire to serve and his decision to accept the appointment is to preserve national unity.[153]
Prabowo inspecting Indonesian Reserve soldiers in October 2021
Shortly after his inauguration, Prabowo began advocating for a "total people's war" doctrine for Indonesia's national defense.[154] In realization to this, he formed theReserve Component on 7 October 2021 and appointed TV presenterDeddy Corbuzier as the reserve component ambassador to boost recruitment.[155]
Considering that some of the TNI's equipment is old, Prabowo has made efforts to continue modernizing military capabilities. He believes that long-term planning, based on the assumption that the defense budget is fixed at 0.8% of Indonesia's GDP, will enable Indonesia to purchase the most advanced weapons and build a domestic defense industry.[156] The plan, which emerged to the public not long after the sinking of theKRINanggala submarine, became a hot debate because the proposed figure reachedRp 1,700 trillion (Rp 1.7 quadrillion) or Rp 68 trillion per year.[157]
Prabowo utilized the certainty of the defense budget to acquire advanced weaponry that the TNI had never possessed. He plans to significantly expand Indonesia's domestic capacity to manufacture ammunition, as the country's current production capability is only 450 million rounds per year, despite an annual demand of one billion rounds.[158] For theIndonesian Air Force, Prabowo is looking to strengthen Indonesia's military by acquiring newer fighter aircraft such asGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons andDassault Rafales from the US and France[159] while in the same time buying new transport aircraft such asAirbus A400M Atlas and newerLockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. For theIndonesian Navy, Prabowo signed contracts for newer surface combatants such asArrowhead 140 andFREMM[160][161] while exploring possible local production on theScorpene class submarines underPAL Indonesia.[162] He also ordered 500Pindad Maung light utility vehicles in 2020.[163]
He also led renegotiation attempts regarding on the payment of theKAI KF-21 Boramae fighter program after his predecessor,Ryamizard Ryacudu stalled the payment of Indonesia's shares in the program.[164] He later attended the launch of the aircraft prototype together with South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in representing Indonesia.[165]
In 2020, Prabowo was appointed by Jokowi to spearhead the national food estate program. Jokowi's reasoning for Prabowo's appointment was that as Minister of Defense, Prabowo also plays important role on carrying out strategic projects such as food storage. The development of food barns inCentral Kalimantan began in mid-2020, utilizing existing rice fields covering an area of around 30,000 hectares, with 10,000 hectares located inPulang Pisau Regency and 20,000 hectares inKapuas Regency. In 2021, this project will be expanded to 44,135 hectares.[167] Although Prabowo was selected as the project leader, he emphasize that theMinistry of Defense will only play a supporting role in the food estate work as theMinister of Agriculture will play the leading role, indicating that cross-sector collaboration is the key to the success of this project. This reflects the synergy between the agricultural and defense sectors in an effort to achieve sustainability and national food security.[167]
In his first 100 days as Minister of Defense, Prabowo visited 8 countries to meet the Ministers of Defense ofMalaysia,Thailand, Turkey, China, Japan, the Philippines, and France to strengthen military relations.[168][169]
Prabowo with Japanese prime ministerFumio Kishida in April 2024
Following an incident in late 2019 where Chinese vessels violated the IndonesianEEZ off theNatuna Islands, Prabowo called for a cautious response, referring to China as a "friendly nation".[173] He also ordered the deployment of additional navy vessels in the region in response to the incident.[174] Despite the controversy of his inaction in Natuna Island in contrast to his fiery speeches about foreign powers during the 2019 elections,[175] a poll by Indo Barometer on early January shows that Prabowo is the most popular minister in Jokowi's cabinet.[176]
When asked about the situation on theSouth China Sea in a session at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on 14 June 2022, Prabowo answered that Indonesia respects the interest of all countries that are involved in the region. He then quotedNelson Mandela that "your enemies must not be our enemies too".[177] In reaction to the formation ofAUKUS and Australian plans to acquirenuclear submarines, Prabowo thinks that the alliance is made on basis of defense and it was beneath the sovereign rights of Australia, UK, and USA.[178]
US Department of Defense said both SecretaryLloyd Austin and Minister Prabowo viewed China's aggression in the South China Sea as inconsistent tointernational law. This statement was then refuted by Spokesperson of the Foreign MinistryWang Wenbin as a lie, claiming Prabowo never said that when Chinese embassy contacted the press office of theMinistry of Defense.[179] Prabowo himself later refuted the American statement, stating there was no joint statement nor a press conference regarding to this matter and states that Indonesia is in good terms with China, United States and Russia and respects their interests, insisting Indonesia'snon-aligned stances.[180]
During the 3rd presidential debate of the2024 elections, Prabowo argued that the situation in the region underlines the needs of a strong military. He states that the military needs more patrol platform and satellites to defend the nation from outside threats.[181]
Prabowo with US secretary of defenseLloyd Austin in August 2023Prabowo during a bilateral exchange at The Pentagon on 24 August 2023
In October 2020, Prabowo visited the United States despite his previous ban from entering the country, in his capacity as Minister of Defense after being invited by his US counterpartMark Esper and a visa was issued for him. Several human rights organizations, includingAmnesty International, had previously called for the Trump administration to cancel the visit.[182] From his frequent foreign visit overtures such as in the United States, Prabowo succeeded in convincing theUnited States Congress to approve the sale of the advancedF-15EX Eagle IIsupersonic fighter aircraft to Indonesia.[183]
Immediate cessation of hostilities through cease-fire
Establishment of demilitarized zones by withdrawing 15 kilometers from their forward positions
UN referendums on disputed territories
Prabowo's proposal was dismissed outright by Ukrainian defense ministerOleksii Reznikov, stating that the proposal was "a Russian plan, not an Indonesian plan".[186] This proposal was also criticized by EU foreign policy chiefJosep Borrell, saying that there must be a "just peace" not "peace of surrender".[186] It was also criticized byPDI-P as Secretary GeneralHasto Kristiyanto said Indonesia does not need a leader who gives advice that deviates from the principle of "free and active" diplomacy.[187] However, his plan was well received by China, with former Chinese ambassador to the United StatesCui Tiankai expressing appreciation for Prabowo's efforts while criticizingthe West for mismanaging their own security situation.[188] Prabowo was later called by Jokowi for clarifications on the peace plan as Indonesia had officially condemned Russia for the invasion.[188][189] Jokowi then clarified that Prabowo's peace plan as "okay" because it was just a suggestion in an open dialogue and did not officially reflect Indonesia's stance.[190]
On 2 June 2024, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy met Prabowo on the sidelines of IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and invited him to attend theJune 2024 Ukraine peace summit atGeneva, hoping for his attendance.[191] In response to this invitation, Prabowo said he can't confirm his presence to the June summit and he had to discuss with President Jokowi,Minister of Foreign AffairsRetno Marsudi andCoordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security AffairsHadi Tjahjanto on Indonesia's official stance in attending the summit.[192] Prabowo told Zelenskyy that "Many countries feel that in a peace summit all elements must be present, especially Russia".[193] Prabowo offered Indonesia's solution to Zelenskyy which he seemed not to accept Indonesia's proposal on ceasefire and Prabowo is keen to continue finding a solution. Prabowo also offered Zelenskyy Indonesia's good service in any avenues to find solutions for peace between Russia and Ukraine.[194]
In July 2024, Prabowo held talks in Moscow with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin and Defense MinisterAndrey Belousov.[195] Belousov called Indonesia one of Russia's key partners in the Asia-Pacific region.[196]
During theIsrael-Gaza conflict in 2023, Prabowo called out his disappointment with theWestern countries who seemed silent when they saw civilians and children becoming victims of war and blasted the west for a perceived double standards onhuman rights. He has donated Rp. 5 billion of his personal wealth to the Palestinian people[197] and joined President Jokowi, Secretary of StatePratikno,Minister of Foreign AffairsRetno Marsudi and Ambassador to Indonesia from PalestineZuhair Al-Shun in sending off 51.5 tonnes of aid delivered by the Indonesian Air Force.[198] He had also communicated with the Egyptian defense ministerMohamed Ahmad Zaki to allow the passage of the Indonesian Navy hospital shipKRIdr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat to dock nearEl Arish,Sinai in order to deliver further aid for Palestine.[199]
In an article he wrote forThe Economist which was published on 26 April 2024, Prabowo called outthe West for being double standards when it comes to the conflict.[200][201] In this op-ed, Prabowo stated his views that "as a human being, you don't have to be a Muslim to feel the suffering in Gaza and you don't have to be a Muslim to be angry at what has happened".[202] Prabowo deplored Western condemnation onRussia's invasion of Ukraine and launched global campaigns condemning Russia while being silent onIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, writing critical questions such as "How is killing Palestinian civilians less worthy of denunciation than the killing of Ukrainian civilians?" while calling Western stances as "a moral crisis".[201] He expressed his sympathies for the Israeli victims of theOctober 7 attacks but called out against the retaliatory actions conducted by Israel.[200]
During theIISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 2 June 2024, Prabowo stated Indonesia's readiness to send troops to Gaza under anUN peacekeeping mission if needed and he also states Indonesia's readiness to evacuate and treat up to 1000 wounded Palestinians in Indonesian hospitals as soon as possible if situation in the ground permits.[203] His statement is further backed byCommander of the Indonesian National Armed ForcesAgus Subiyanto, stating the TNI can deploy 1394 personnels for peacekeeping missions in Gaza and has approachedSingapore andAustralia who express their interest in joining Indonesia for a joint operation.[204] President Jokowi expressed his support for Prabowo's plan to provide medical aid and instructed him to seek cooperation with theUnited Arab Emirates on operating a hospital in Gaza[205] and flew toJordan to attend a summit regarding to Gaza on Jokowi's behalf.[206] Prabowo's idea also gained support from Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim, who proposed a joint mission between Indonesia and Malaysia.[207] In his speech at the2025 United Nations General Assembly, Prabowo remarked that Indonesia would be willing to provide up "20,000 or even more" personnel for the mission.[208]
One of Prabowo's first actions as Minister of Defense was to expand the field of study at the Indonesian Defense University. In Prabowo's directive, campus opened the Bachelor of Military Medicine and Bachelor of Science and Mathematics and Military Science study programs.[209] He also waived tuition fees for distinguished cadets and ensure the welfare of students by providing laptop computers from campus.[210] On 25 March 2022, Jokowi and Prabowo expanded the campus by opening a branch outsideSentul [id],West Java, namely Ben Mboi Polytechnic, inBelu,East Nusa Tenggara.
Prabowo also personally received 22 Palestinian students to be enrolled at campus on 8 November 2023 with a 5-year term study in medicine, pharmacy, and engineering. He gave them full scholarship and promised to enroll more Palestinian students into the university. According to Prabowo, their enrollment is a part of Indonesia's own commitment to aid Palestine in their efforts to be a recognized sovereign country.[211]
President Prabowo taking his presidential oath in 2024
ThePrabowo–Gibran ticket won the2024 presidential election with 58.59% of the vote against two of their opponents,Anies–Muhaimin andGanjar–Mahfud. On 20 October 2024, Prabowo assumed the presidency of Indonesia. At 73 years, three days of age on inauguration day, Prabowo is theoldest person to assume Indonesian presidency, while his counterpart, Gibran, is theyoungest person to assume the Indonesian vice presidency at 37 years, 19 days of age. In his inaugural address, Prabowo vowed to address internal challenges such as widespread corruption, which continues to hinder the country's development. Additionally, he committed to enhancing Indonesia's self-sufficiency, focusing on economic reforms and strengthening national industries.[212]
Prabowo's economic policy claim to emulate his father's,Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, who had asocialist economic outlook. This was further confirmed by his younger brother,Hashim that Prabowo's term as president will be the "right momentum" to apply his father's theories into practice and the proposed policies that will be enacted by Prabowo were the dreams hoped by their father that is soon to be realized.[217][218] Among his father's economic policies, Prabowo is once seen to revive his father'sProgram Benteng policy, which was enacted duringMohammad Natsir's government that empowers indigenous business owners.[219] His economic policies also draw inspiration from his father-in-law,Suharto, withCoordinating Minister for Economic AffairsAirlangga Hartarto remarking that Suharto's economic policies on investments, spending and exports may be again enacted but unlike Suharto, Prabowo will be eyeing more towards digital economy, downstreaming and semiconductors.[220]
Prabowo officially launched Indonesia's first-ever bullion bank service on Wednesday, 26 February 2025. For years, gold mined in Indonesia has often flowed overseas without proper domestic storage. With the launch of the bullion bank, Prabowo hopes to provide a more structured system for the storage, management, and trade of gold within the country.[221]
Prabowo's economic policy declares a return to a national-capitalist model grounded in the belief that the liberal free-market era has failed to deliver equitable development. At the 2025St. Petersburg International Economic Forum he asserted that “for the past 30 years, we have seen neoliberal and free-market thinking dominate … and yet many Indonesians have not enjoyed equal opportunity.”[222] Accordingly his administration pursues four strategic priorities such as food self-sufficiency, energy self-sufficiency, education quality improvement, and accelerated industrialisation, and mandates that natural-resource wealth must first benefit the people.[223] In pursuit of those ends his government has launched large-scale populist spending programmes (such as the free nutritious meals scheme and rice-aid and electricity-discount policies) while simultaneously ordering a budget-efficiency sweep: a January 2025 presidential instruction cut Rp 306.6 trillion of spending to redirect funds into social programmes.[224] To complement this, his government has shifted the revenue-mobilisation paradigm: the 2026 draft budget sets a growth target of 5.4 % (with a long-term aspiration of 8 %) and projects a deficit cap of ~2.5 % of GDP, emphasising better tax-to-GDP ratio rather than raw debt expansion.[225]
Prabowo Subianto’s decision to appointPurbaya Yudhi Sadewa as Minister of Finance on 8 September 2025 signaled a change in economic policymaking, a departure from the fiscal-orthodoxy of his predecessorSri MulyaniIndrawati.[226] Whereas under Sri Mulyani the dominant paradigm emphasised stringent deficit-control, broad-based tax reform and market-friendly discipline, Purbaya has publicly advocated for a “liquidity-first” posture and a strong pro-growth thrust.[227] In his first week, Purbaya redirected roughly Rp 200 trillion from idle government funds at the central bank into commercial banks as a measure to invigorate lending and consumption.[227] He also stressed greater emphasis on domestic investment, real-sector productivity and boosting household purchasing power, within the broader political vision of Prabowo’s “national-capitalist” economic doctrine.[228] He also publicly stated that “there will be no major tax-rate increases” until Indonesia’s economy grows at least 6 %.[229]
On 5 November 2024, Prabowo signed a law that wrote offbad debt forsmall and medium enterprises in order to increase national economic resilience through write-offs and conditional write-offs in the fields of agriculture, plantations, animal husbandry, fisheries and maritime affairs.[230] The Write-off/Collection of Bad Debts of MSMEs is implemented as part of the 130-day work program of the Red and White Cabinet. The government stated that MSMEs are the backbone of the national economy, with a total of 66 million business units and absorbing up to 97% of the total workforce in Indonesia. However, various challenges such as the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and difficult economic conditions have caused many MSME players to experience credit congestion.[citation needed]
Hisvalue-added tax policy drew controversy as the government planned to raise VAT from 11% to 12%. The increase plan sparked outrage and concerns from labor unions to business owners.[231][232] Social media users, especially inTwitter, began to actively campaign to stop paying taxes as a form of protest against the government's policy while labour unions threatens a massive strike if the increase goes through.[231][233] TheIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle also joined in protest against the proposed raise but was met with criticism from pro-government legislators for being hypocritical as PDI-P once endorsed the idea during Jokowi's presidency by passing the law that will gradually raise it to 12% back in 2021.[234][235] On 31 December 2024, Prabowo andMinister of FinanceSri Mulyani announced that the raise to 12% will only be applied to luxurious goods and services such as yachts, private jets and luxurious housing while there will be no tax raise for other goods and services that is not considered as luxury.[236]
During a cabinet meeting on 22 January 2025, Prabowo remarked that he is the first president to oversee a budget that is "up to the ninth unit" and announced that he will cut non-essential spending in his government, from cutting budget for official trips by the ministry to banning ceremonial events that is considered as waste of budget.[237] Doing so, Prabowo managed to cut the budget up to Rp. 306,6 trillion throughPresidential Instruction Number 1 of 2025, and the slashed funds will be relocated towards policies that will benefit the people, such as the free school lunch (Indonesian:Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), literally: Free Nutritious Lunch) program.[238]
In September 2025, the central government announced that fiscal transfers to regional governments would be reduced from Rp 920 trillion (USD 55.4 billion) to Rp 650 trillion (USD 39.1 billion) for the 2026 fiscal year.[239]
On Monday 24 February 2025, Prabowo officially launched the Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara)sovereign wealth fund. During the same launching speech, he also stated that theGovernment has proven its commitment with discipline and accountable financial governance.[240] Danantara works by gathering state-owned enterprise assets to seek funding. These assets will then be used as collateral for debt or even sold, which is estimated to manage up to US$900 billion inassets under management. The initial funding is targeted at US$20 billion.[241]
During the2024 Indonesian general election, Prabowo proposed several policies in regards to the defense budget, defense industry, strengthening the Reserve Component, increased TNI presence in the border, synergy within defense institutions against separatism, and increased competency in defense technology and professionalism.[242] His policies enacted as Minister of Defense is then continued by MinisterSjafrie Sjamsoeddin.[243] Prabowo's modernization programs on the armed forces from his days as Minister of Defense largely continued under his presidency.
Prabowo has stated his interest to joinTAI TF Kaan project in a meeting withTurkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan during his state visit inTurkey.[244] From the bilateral visit, the two countries agreed to set up joint ventures between strategic defense companies from both countries, aiming to contribute in Indonesia's development offifth-generation fighters andsubmarine shipbuilding.[245]
Under Prabowo, the government has controversially made efforts to reviseAct No. 34 of 2004, known as the Indonesian National Armed Forces Act. The revision has become controversial because some clause of the Act contains potential to revivedwifungsi (double role) and allow activeIndonesian National Armed Forces service members to take on civilian roles in government. The lack of transparency, accountability, public participation and the perceived mutilation of the spirit ofReformasi has led towidespread protest.[250] The decision to discuss such revision inFairmont Jakarta, a 5-star hotel nearby theMPR/DPR/DPD building instead of the parliament building itself had already sparked criticisms from human rights organization.[251]
Prabowo with US PresidentJoe Biden in theOval Office of the White House on 12 November 2024
Prabowo continued the foreign policy of "thousand friends and zero enemies" enacted by his predecessorsSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono andJoko Widodo with a slightly more active role.[252] In early 2025, Indonesia officially became a member ofBRICS. Indonesia's membership in BRICS will strengthen Indonesia's position in the global political arena. According to a press statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Indonesia views BRICS membership as a strategic step to enhance collaboration and cooperation with other developing countries, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and sustainable development."[253] Under his administration, he tried to widen the definition of Indonesia's "free and active" foreign policy through political and economic pragmatism as well as regional stability. He modelled his foreign policy from the words ofMohammad Hatta as "sailing between two reefs."[254] Compared to Jokowi, Prabowo is seen as a much more aggressive, aspirational, and decisive diplomat.[255] Former president Yudhoyono remarked that Prabowo will be a "foreign policy president."[256]
He was the firstpresident-elect in Indonesia's history to conduct foreign visits prior to his inauguration, visiting 20 countries[256] withChina being his first after the election.[257] As president, Prabowo made his first overseas visit again toChina on 9 November 2024.[258]
Prabowo and Chinese PresidentXi Jinping in Beijing, 9 November 2024
During a November 2024 presidential visit by Prabowo to China, Indonesia and China signed amemorandum of understanding for "joint maritime development" in the area of the two countries "overlapping claims" near theNatuna Islands.[259] Indonesia's Foreign Ministry subsequently issued a statement that the memorandum did not impact Indonesia's sovereignty or rights in the area and stating that in Indonesia's view the Chinese claims do not have a legal basis.[259] Critics of the memorandum who were quoted by theSouth China Morning Post contended that the wording could support China's position regarding the South China Sea claims.[259]
Prabowo has continued to vocally advocating for Palestinian independence. In his diplomatic visit to the United States, he proposed thetwo-state solution to US PresidentJoe Biden to end theGaza conflict.[260] He also once again voiced his support in theD-8 summit held inCairo while expressing his disappointment in front of other Muslim leaders on the lack of unity, citingLibya,Yemen, andSudan.[261][262][263] His disappointment gained support from Malaysian Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim, calling his disappointment "a bitter truth."[264]
When it was Prabowo's turn to speak in the D-8 summit, some dignitaries, including Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan, "walked out" from the summit, nudging Prabowo's seat on his way out.[265] Many at home perceived this diplomatic gaffe as Prabowo being "too preachy" and indirectly offending Erdogan, whose country enjoysNATO support and having diplomatic ties withIsrael, briefly straining relations between both countries.[266] However, Cabinet SecretaryTeddy Indra Wijaya clarified that Erdogan had already apologized before the conference session started and had requested Prabowo to switch turns with him so that he could leave early to attend a bilateral meeting with another leader.[267] The Turkish Embassy in Indonesia states that relations between Indonesia and Turkey will remain harmonious despite of Erdogan's leave.[268]
Prabowo once again advocated for atwo-state solution to end the long ongoing conflict inGaza in front ofFrench presidentEmmanuel Macron,[269] who some time before meeting Prabowo has announced plans for French recognition of Palestine.[270] He also said that he is open tonormalize relations with Israel oncePalestinian independence is acknowledged.[271] In his statement, Palestine's independence is the only solution for a long lasting peace in theMiddle East while stating thatIsrael also has an inalienable right to exist as asovereign state and Indonesia will recognize Israel only after Palestine is fully independent.[272] Despite the idea of recognizing Israel after Palestine became independent became controversial, theIndonesian Ulema Council (MUI) endorsed the idea, reminding the public that his statement is not a pro-Israel statement.[273] However, MUI told that Prabowo must hold Israel accountable for theirwar crimes in Gaza even if he wishes to normalize ties with Israel.[273] TheProsperous Justice Party and theUnited Development Party also gave their support to Prabowo's statement but told Prabowo to focus more on Palestinian independence first,[274] whilePDI-P politicianDjarot Saiful Hidayat state that Prabowo should not rush to recognize Israel as a state, as it is considered a violation to theConstitution of Indonesia.[275]
During theEightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, Prabowo reiterated his stance on recognizing Israel with the condition that Israel must recognize Palestine as an independent nation.[276] While praisingFrance,United Kingdom,Portugal and other countries for their recognition of Palestine, Prabowo also pressured those who had yet to recognize Palestine to do so as soon as possible to stop the humanitarian crisis there.[277] Once again, it sparked debate in social media with arguments for the two state solution said Prabowo's speech has placed one step closer to peace while arguments against it said that Israel's atrocities has made the two state solution no longer viable and Prabowo had violated theConstitution of Indonesia for saying in favor of Israeli recognition.[278][279] His speech generated even more controversy in social media afterIsraeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu praised Prabowo's speech.[280] He was nevertheless applauded domestically as SpeakerPuan Maharani states her proudness as she considers Prabowo's speech as reflecting Indonesia's commitments to end the humanity crisis in Palestine,[281] while former presidentJoko Widodo states that Prabowo's speech is a firm and brave message for peace.[282] Internationally,US PresidentDonald Trump was impressed especially when Prabowo pounded the podium as he spoke while French presidentEmmanuel Macron thanked Prabowo for his "strong" statements and told him that other countries were taking notes of his commitment.[283] Prabowo later told the media that his speech was positively received and he got words of appreciation from numerous state leaders for "truly want to find a middle path", in which he hopes to find a substantial and just way to end the conflict.[284] He would later attend theGaza Peace Summit inSharm El Sheikh as the sole representative from Southeast Asia, witnessing the signings of the accords and offering Indonesia's support for Gaza's reconstruction while advocating for the two-state solution.[285]
Prabowo with Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and PresidentDroupadi Murmu as chief guest of the Republic Day celebration, 2025
Prabowo was invited by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's government as chief guest of theRepublic Day celebration in 2025. The visit is to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The Indonesian president was welcomed by Minister of State for External AffairsPabitra Margherita. The trade between the two countries in 2023 stands at USD 29.40 billion.[286] Prabowo was met by the Indian Foreign MinisterS. Jaishankar.[287] The Indian Ministry of External Affairs described the relationship as "warm and friendly… spanning over millennia." President Prabowo was given a ceremonial welcome by the President of IndiaDroupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[288] Prabowo said Indonesia considers India a great friend and the first country that recognized Indonesian independence.[289] A 352-member Indonesian military marching contingent participated in theRepublic Day parade in New Delhi. During the visit the two sides are to discuss and conclude deals in trade, healthcare, digital technologies, energy and tourism, as well as the purchase of theBrahMos supersonic cruise missile.[290]
Prabowo and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia, 19 June 2025
On 19 June 2025, Prabowo attended theSt. Petersburg International Economic Forum as a guest of honour. He met Russian PresidentVladimir Putin and the two heads of state signed a strategic partnership agreement. In addition, the Indonesian and Russian sovereign fundsDanantara and theRussian Direct Investment Fund signed an agreement to create an investment fund worth 2 billionEuros (US$2.9 billion).[291][292] His visit to Russia coincides with the51st G7 summit atKananaskis, in which Prabowo was also invited to attend but didn't.[292] Despite the apparent snub cited by Western aligned media,[293][292] Prabowo clarified his reason to skip the summit is because Indonesia's non-bloc stance and commitment issues made prior to the G7 invitation.[294][295]
During the2024 Indonesian general election, one of the key promises Prabowo wished to deliver once elected is the enactment of a free lunch meal program. This policy was introduced during the election campaign with his campaign team demonstrating it by distributing free milk and lunch meal.[296] After Prabowo was declared as president-elect, pilot program of the policy was enacted. Prabowo said that he wanted to enact this because he saw nearly 25% of Indonesian children skip their breakfast and he wanted to know if the program could succeed by conducting pilot programs.[297] On 24 May 2024, he changed the program into free nutritious meal program. Overall, this program is designed with the aim of building superior resources, reducing stunting and poverty rates while driving the economy.[298] This program is also one of Prabowo's key policies in realizing theGolden Indonesia 2045 Vision that targets the creation of a golden generation by utilizingdemographic dividends that can launch Indonesia into adeveloped country.[299]
The program was officially rolled out since 6 January 2025 in 26 provinces of Indonesia, carried out by theNational Nutrition Agency, and targeting children frompreschool tosecondary school students, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers with the aim of able to bring benefit to at least 82,9 million beneficiaries.[300] However, the effectiveness of this policy got repeatedly questioned. With a huge budget needed to execute the program, the program may risk cutting the budget of other social programs and caused economic instability.[301] In addition, the program has been marked by repeated cases offood poisoning; by 15 August 2025, over 1,000 people had been sickened.[302]
Construction ofNusantara under Prabowo's presidency continued despite no longer be considered as priority due to reallocation of other policies such as the free meal program.[306]
On 21 September 2025, Prabowo signed a presidential decree that officially made Nusantara as the politicalcapital city of Indonesia and targeted for its realization to be implemented in 2028.[307] However, this decree was met with suspicion as the decree only mandated for theHouse of Representatives andRegional Representative Council to move to Nusantara,[308] while analysts criticize the lack of seriousness to relocate away fromJakarta.[309]
Prabowo Subianto said in his speech at the INDEF-organization that Indonesia needs amiddle way betweencapitalism andsocialism, which would be aPancasilaeconomy how the third president of IndonesiaB.J. Habibie wanted.[310][311] Besides his own variant of aThird Way, he advocates foranti-neoliberalism.[312] In foreign policy, Prabowo has expressed a desire for closer diplomatic ties with China and India, while calling for distance from the West.[313] He has proposed a peace plan to end theRusso-Ukrainian War, involving holding referendums in disputed areas between the two countries, which was subsequently condemned by Ukraine.[314] In January 2022, Prabowo expressed openness to the normalization ofIndonesia–Israel relations.[315]
In 1983, according toSintong Panjaitan, Prabowo had a dispute with a few generals who plotted to overthrowSuharto to the point that he plotted to useDetachment 81 to attempt kidnapping these generals, including GeneralL. B. Moerdani who was rumored to be plotting a coup against Suharto. However, his plot was stopped byLuhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the commander of Detachment 81. Prabowo was his deputy commander at that time.[316] Major Luhut Pandjaitan ordered to cancel the attempt and confiscate all weapons and equipment. The threat of a coup against Suharto was later found to be false and Prabowo was given a leave due to stress.[317] However, Prabowo denied Sintong Panjaitan's version of the story by laughing. According to him, it was unreasonable that a captain could lead his troops to fight and kidnap a general. He calmly said that every time there was a new book, there would be a new coup accusation leveled against himself, and left everyone with their own version of the story.[317]
Prabowo was once again involved in a dispute with Moerdani ahead of the1988 MPR General Assembly. According toKivlan Zen, rumors persisted that Moerdani would use his office ofcommander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces to gain support from the ABRI faction to run as vice president toSuharto. Prabowo reported this to Suharto and Suharto heeded Prabowo's report by replacing Moerdani withTry Sutrisno as commander of the armed forces. The position of vice president then fell toSudharmono.[317] Moerdani's dismissal sparked worries of a coup, however the coup never really happened. Despite this, it showed Prabowo's rising influence in the armed forces and on Suharto's decision making.[317]
In 1983, it was claimed that Prabowo commanded the Indonesian special forces responsible for theKraras massacres in East Timor.[32] The survivors of these massacres were locked up in a concentration camp guarded by Prabowo's men, where many died of starvation and ill-treatment.[33] Prabowo claimed he was nowhere near the Viqueque district when the massacre happened, and neither the UN nor the government of Timor Leste have ever proffered charges of human rights violations against him.[34] José Manuel Tesoro, writing forAsiaweek in 2000, contacted four separate non-governmental organizations includingTapol in London; Solidamor in Jakarta; the HAK Foundation, headquartered in Dili; and the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) in New York, but they could not provide any eyewitness reports, transcripts of intercepted communications, leaked papers, or anything that could substantiate Prabowo's involvement.[35][32]
Between 1997 and 1998, Kopassus members from Team Mawar (Rose Team) were responsible forpro-democracy activists kidnappings of at least 22 people mainly in Jakarta.[318] Nine activists were released and 13 remain missing.[318][319] In 1999, 11 members of Tim Mawar were found guilty by a military court.[318] However, they appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court, which was not made public and only revealed in 2007, and were never jailed and all but one remained in the military.[318][320][321] In September 2020, Defense Minister Prabowo appointed two of the Team Mawar officers, two servingbrigadier generals, to senior positions in theMinistry of Defense following approval by PresidentJoko Widodo.[320]Amnesty International criticised the appointments as the President and theDPR had promised to investigate missing activist cases and instead placed suspects in positions of power.[318][322] and shortly after Prabowo was inaugurated as president two more members of the Team Mawar became heads of theNational Cyber and Crypto Agency and the Main Secretariat of theState Intelligence Agency.[323]
On 13 February 2024, theCorruption Eradication Commission had received a report of alleged corruption conducted by Prabowo in the purchase of ex-Qatar Emiri Air ForceDassault Mirage 2000-5 jet aircraft which was canceled by the Ministry of Defense due to fiscal limitations.[325][326] Allegedly, the purchased aircraft will be bought at a much higher price and there are gratification involved.[325][327] Deputy Minister of DefenseMuhammad Herindra denied the allegations, dismissing the rumors as slanderous allegations and fake news.[327] In response, the Ministry of Defense appointed lawyerHotman Paris Hutapea to lead the defense.[328] Despite being mentioned in a report that allegedly uncovered the corruption,Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) stated it had "never have done any work related to Indonesia."[329]
On 18 September 2017, at the launch of a book on his father's political economy theory, Prabowo made a speech warning Indonesia could break apart in 2030. "In other countries, they have made studies, where the Republic of Indonesia has been declared no more in 2030," he said. A video clip of the speech was posted to Gerindra's official Facebook page on 18 March 2018. When asked which studies Prabowo was referring to, Gerindra official M. Husein Mohi said, "Prabowo Subianto has read various writings of people that are outside the country, intellectual observers that exist. You can also see them online."[330] It was subsequently revealed the "studies" were actually a 2015 science-fiction war novel calledGhost Fleet by American authors August Cole andP. W. Singer. A note by the authors at the start of the book states: "The following was inspired by real-world trends and technologies. But, ultimately, it is a work of fiction, not prediction."[331] Bemused by Prabowo citing the book, Singer posted on Twitter: "Indonesian opposition leader cites #GhostFleet in fiery campaign speeches... There have been many unexpected twists and turns from this book experience, but this may take the cake."[332]
In November 2018, he was embroiled in controversy for a part of his campaign in Boyolali mentioningthe appearance of people inBoyolali,Central Java. After mentioning names of various luxury hotels in Jakarta whose name he claimed the rally can never pronounce, he said, "..but I am sure you have not entered these hotels. If you want to enter them you might be kicked out. You don't look like wealthy people, you have a Boyolali look." This has led to several Boyolali polling stations for 2019 election not voting him at all. Prabowo lost the regency again in 2024 election in spite of overall win in Central Java province.[333][334] The next month, Prabowo was ridiculed after erroneously stating thatHaiti, a republic in theCaribbean, is anAfrican country. In a speech made on 23 December 2018 inSolo,Central Java, Prabowo said the Indonesian government had driven part of Indonesia's wealth offshore. "If this continues to go on, Indonesia will continue to be impoverished," he said. "We, Indonesians, are on par with African impoverished countries such asRwanda, Haiti, and small islands likeKiribati, which we don't even know where it's located," he added.[335] On 17 January 2019, in the first debate between the candidates in Indonesia's April 2019 presidential election, Prabowo said some Indonesian governors deserve higher salaries considering the size of their provinces. He gave the example of Central Java province, which he claimed is larger thanMalaysia. Local media reports pointed out that Central Java is 32,544.12 square kilometres, while Malaysia is 330,323 square kilometres.[336] After the media reported on the error, Prabowo's campaign team claimed he had actually been referring to the population totals of Malaysia and Central Java.[337] In the same debate, Prabowo claimed that terrorist attacks in Indonesia were caused by poverty and perpetrated by non-Muslims disguised as Muslims, sent by other countries and controlled by foreigners. Media reports refuted his claims, pointing out that some Indonesian terrorist bombers were not poor and were not manipulated by foreigners.[338]
On 12 December 2023, Prabowo went viral after his commentary about his rivalAnies Baswedan on ethics by saying "Ndasmu etik!" (English: God damn ethics!) which is considered insulting him in an internal party congress held by Gerindra. His spokesperson later stated that it was just a joke.[339]
During the2024 Central Java gubernatorial election, Prabowo gave his public endorsement of support toAhmad Luthfi andTaj Yasin Maimoen through a video uploaded in Taj Yasin's Instagram account. His endorsement was slammed by thePDI-P, andDeputy Speaker of the People's Consultative AssemblyBambang Wuryanto called the endorsement as "worrying" and reminded Prabowo that he is the president, not just a party leader.[340] Many has also questioned the ethics behind the endorsement as legal experts believed that the president of Indonesia must not meddle around with legal institutions in favor of a candidate[341] andGeneral Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) announced that they will investigate the video for any offences.[342] However, Prabowo's endorsement was also defended asNasDem politicianMuhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda and Head ofPresidential Communication OfficeHasan Nasbi said that Prabowo spoke as a party chairman and there is no restrictions on presidents being a chairman of their own parties[343][344] whileCoordinating Minister for Political and Security AffairsBudi Gunawan states that Prabowo's endorsement is a "normal matter" in democracies.[345] Bawaslu found that although the video featuring him did show political campaign message, their investigation result shows that he did not commit any offences because the video was posted within the social media campaign period between 25 September to 23 November, and Prabowo is allowed to campaign for his endorsed candidates as long as either he took his time off from the office or he done it on a holiday, which in Taj Yasin's clarification to Bawaslu states that the video was created on Sunday, 3 November 2024.[346]
As a president elected in 2024 and beingSuharto's son-in-law, Prabowo's leadership style was criticized for his authoritarian style of rule and allegedly revived the practice ofDwifungsi, where active military personnels can cocurrently serve in the civilian government while maintaining military command. His background as a military commander rises whenDwifungsi was at its peak of power. TheReformasi that has sought to limit the influence of the military in civilian government has its values now threatened by moves to again empower the military, such as the revision of the Law No. 34 Year 2004.[347]
During his time as defense minister underJoko Widodo, Prabowo is considered to have restored the role of the military in many aspects of civilian life. He was known to involve the military in government programs such as the free meal program, food estate, and many other roles that is supposed to be done by the civilian sector. Few of his cabinet ministers also have military roles, which further strengthens the perception that the direction of government tends to reviveNew Order-style practices.[347] His most controversial appointment in his cabinet however is when he appointedTeddy Indra Wijaya who was still active in the military to be hiscabinet secretary, which generate criticism from academicians and legal experts saying Prabowo has violated the Law No. 34 Year 2004 Article 47 which states that active service members of theIndonesian National Armed Forces must resign or retire from military life if appointed or given a civilian role.[348][349][350]
During the2025 Gaza Peace Summit inSharm El Sheikh, a hot mic incident between Prabowo and PresidentDonald Trump occurred as the two leaders had a small talk.[351] The incident depicts Prabowo talking about an "unstable region security wise" before requesting Trump to set a meeting with his second son,Eric Trump. Trump replied saying Eric was a "good boy" and he'll call Eric with Prabowo adding that he'll find a better place to talk before mentioning either for Eric or his eldest sonTrump Jr.[351] This prompted criticism for both of them, especially fromJimmy Kimmel who joked that "this is the first time someone has requested a meeting with Eric" and sarcasticly said among the many children of Trump, Prabowo choose to meet Eric, jabbing Eric's new book release to Prabowo's request.[352]
Prabowo (center left) at his wedding to Titiek Suharto, 1983
Prabowo marriedTitiek Suharto on 8 May 1983. Titiek is the daughter of Indonesian President Suharto, but the couple separated shortly after Suharto's presidency ended in 1998.[353] Prabowo saw himself as a potential successor to Suharto and remained a strong supporter of the regime.[5] Prabowo and Titiek have one son together, fashion designerRagowo Hediprasetyo (Didit), who was born in March 1984.[354]
Prabowo is a cat lover and owns a cat namedBobby Kertanegara. Bobby was adopted by Prabowo from the streets after a chance meeting, and he often showed up in meetings that Prabowo attended in his residence at Kertanegara.[355] It was revealed later in a small talk withDeputy Prime MinisterAngela Rayner that he has 8 cats.[356] Aside from cats, he also owns 18 horses in his hill estate in Jonggol Mountains, Bojong Koneng,Bogor Regency (southeast ofSentul City), and he often invited guests to ride one of his horses, especially when Jokowi andGibran visited.[357] He had once brought his horse to campaign rallies especially inGelora Bung Karno Stadium.[358] Because of his hobby of raising horses, Prabowo is known to supportequesterial sports as theEquestrian Association of Indonesia once received 28 horses from Prabowo's personal wealth to support the national team in preparation for the2025 SEA Games while being given a medal target forpolo directly from the president.[359] In a bilateral meeting with Prime MinisterMark Carney, Prabowo expressed that in his youth, he dreamed to become aMountie.[360]
Prabowo usually wears khaki clothes with many pockets. He himself stated that he liked this suit for practical reasons. Prabowo started wearing it frequently when he was paired with Megawati in the 2009 presidential election.[361]
In an interview in 2018, Prabowo stated that he was aMuslim who adhered to nationalist views.[364] He added that he had insufficient knowledge aboutIslam.[364] Prabowo has stated that he could not read theQuran fluently.[365]
Prabowo said that he was not born into a family steeped in Islamic teachings but grew up with his colleagues who were members of various Islamic community organizations.[366]
On 13 May 2023, Prabowo stated that he was proud to adhere to Islam, which he considers to be the pioneer in many scientific and technological breakthroughs around the world.[367] On 19 November, he stated that he felt comfortable with adhering to Islamic beliefs from the teachings ofNahdlatul Ulama (NU) because he believed that the latter advocated for a form of Islam that is tolerant, protective of society, and moderate.[368]
On 30 June 2024, Prabowo announced that he was undergoing a surgery on his left foot via his Instagram account.[369] In his post, he explained that he had injured his left foot twice.[369] He first injured it when he was participating in aparatrooping exercise inWest Germany while he was training withGSG 9. Additionally, he experienced another foot injury when he fell down from a cliff in a combat zone in the 1980s.[370] Prabowo, who was 30 at the time of the accident, did not experience further issues until his 2024 campaign, when he was seen walking on a limp on his left foot. This prompted rival supporters to mock his physique.[371] Prabowo underwent a successful surgery on his left foot a week later at the National Defense Central Hospital.[372][373]
Prabowo's official portrait with his presidential decorations
Prabowo is automatically awarded the highest class of all civilian and military star decorations upon taking office as president, but he had already received several of these awards —and other awards— while serving asminister of defense.
On 17 June 2009, Prabowo was declared a member of the Lumban Tobing clan of theToba Batak people. The clan awarding was facilitated by the Punguan Siraja Lumban Tobing Association (PPSLB) and took place at the Lake Toba Convention Center,Medan.[391]
On 28 December 2011, Prabowo received the traditional title of Tongkonan from the indigenous people of Siguntu village,Rantepao,North Toraja. The presentation of the traditional title which was accompanied by the Rambu Solo' mourning ceremony was witnessed by the Governor of South SulawesiSyahrul Yasin Limpo, Deputy Governor of South SulawesiAgus Arifin Nu'mang, Commander of Kodam VII/Wirabuana Major GeneralMuhammad Nizam, Regent of Tanah TorajaTheofilus Allorerung, Regent of North Toraja Frederik Batti Sorring, along with thousands of local residents.[392]
He also received the title of Friend of Indonesian Santri from the Zainul Hasan Genggong Islamic Boarding School,Probolinggo, on 2 January 2024.[393]
On 28 February 2024, Prabowo was awarded an honorary four-star general rank by President Joko Widodo.[394]
In November 2024,Ukrposhta, Ukraine's national postal service, issued a limited-edition stamp honoring Prabowo. The initiative was spearheaded by the Ukrainian Initiative, an NGO led by Indonesianist Yurii Kosenko, who described the stamp as both a tribute to Prabowo and a symbol ofIndonesia-Ukraine friendship.[395]
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