|
Jokowi, as the incumbent is known, has not explicitly endorsed
any of the three candidates vying to replace him as leader of
the world's third-largest democracy. But he has made highly
publicised appearances with Prabowo, and his eldest son is
running on the same ticket for vice president.
Two opinion surveys last week projected Prabowo could secure
more than 50% of the votes on Wednesday, allowing him to win in
a single round. Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo were
seen at least 27 and 31 points behind him respectively.
Some voters have taken issue with Jokowi's perceived lack of
neutrality, saying it undermines Indonesia's democracy by giving
one candidate an unfair advantage.
Students gathered in Yogyakarta on Java island, banging bamboo
instruments and holding posters painted with "bring Jokowi and
his cronies to justice".
"Jokowi was once called a new hope, we call him a new disaster,"
one demonstrator said.
The protest organiser, Aksi Gejayan Memanggil, said on Instagram,
"the ethical and moral breaches by Jokowi show that he is
against a critical public voice."
Another protest was planned in the capital Jakarta by several
rights groups.
The presidential office has denied political meddling by Jokowi.
The planned protests come after a documentary produced by an
Indonesian investigative journalist, Dandhy Laksono, alleged
that state officials including police and regional heads, and
government welfare resources, have been used to favour Prabowo.
The film, "Dirty Vote", released at the weekend, had garnered
nearly 5 million views on YouTube by Monday evening.
Reuters could not independently verify the allegations made in
the documentary.
Prabowo's campaign team has dismissed the accusations and
described "most of the contents in the film as defamatory".
The government has said social welfare is not being used to
benefit any candidate.
The student protests also come as Indonesia enters a cooling-off
period until voting day on Wednesday. Authorities were seen
removing election billboards and posters, and candidates are
barred from campaigning during this period.
Indonesia's police will deploy around 25,000 anti-riot personnel
to ensure security during the election.
(Additional reporting by Stanley Widianto; Writing by Kanupriya
Kapoor; Editing by Ed Davies, Martin Petty)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
