Prabowo Subianto declared victory in the Indonesian presidential election on Feb. 14, 2024, after quick count results showed Prabowo and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka in the lead with an estimated 57 to 60 per cent.
Prabowo and Gibran addressed thousands of supporters at the Istora Sports Stadium in Jakarta that evening, looking overjoyed at the predicted results, as reported by Jakarta Globe.
Prabowo: it's the people who decide their desired leaders
Having finally secured a victory in his third bid to become Indonesia's president, Prabowo was all smiles as he addressed the sea of supporters.
In his speech, Prabowo pledged to be a leader for all Indonesian citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion or social background.
The 72-year-old defence minister promised that he and Gibran will protect and serve all citizens as the president and vice president of the nation, and it is their responsibility to work for the best interests of the Indonesian people.
Prabowo said he will select the most competent individuals to fill his future cabinet.
He also expressed gratitude for the "clear victory" indicated from the quick count results produce by all survey agencies, and thanked the KPU (Indonesia's election commission) for successfully organising one of the most complex and biggest elections in the world.
Though Prabowo noted official tally results from the KPU had yet to be released, he said he was confident that the democratic process in Indonesia is being implemented properly.
He added that it's the people who decide their desired leaders.
Prabowo also addressed rival presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, saying that the campaign period is over and strong words and hostile approach are things of the past now.
Gibran: I was a nobody 3 months ago
The 36-year-old vice presidential candidate Gibran also appeared slightly overwhelmed by the predicted victory.
The eldest son of President Joko Widodo thanked supporters for their encouragement and prayers throughout the elections, saying it was because of them he was standing on the stage with Prabowo.
He said he was a "nobody" three months ago, and was ridiculed as someone "ignorant."
Gibran also said he was even nicknamed Samsul—an abbreviation of sulfuric acid in Indonesia—referring to a prior incident where he said pregnant women should drink sulfuric acid. He later corrected his statement, saying he intended to say folic acid.
In his victory speech, Gibran added that people said he was afraid of appearing on the debate stage.
He also said he was surprised that the quick count results indicated a win without needing a runoff and attributed this to the growing support from young voters.
He expressed respect to Anies and Ganjar, as well as their running mates Muhaimin Iskandar and Mohammad Mahfud MD, and told supporters at the stadium the rivalry was over and it was time to reconcile.
Saying they were all brothers and sisters, Gibran told supporters to refrain from discrediting other candidates.
Rivals yet to concede defeat
Anies and Ganjar have yet to concede defeat, despite quick count results showing the candidates to have secured 24 to 26 per cent and 15 to 18 per cent respectively.
On Feb. 14, 2024, Anies urged reporters to wait for official results from KPU, Nikkei Asia reported.
"Let's wait and not rush," he said, adding that he was still "positive" and KPU's process had to be respected until everything is finalised.
On the same day, Ganjar told his supporters to wait for the KPU's official results, according to The Jakarta Post.
He is said to have retorted if they believe that was "all he's got" when asked by a reporter in Jakarta about his estimated vote results.
Quick count results
The quick count results are unofficial early vote count results released ahead of actual tallied results.
The Jakarta Globe reported results to be reliable so long as the numbers show a candidate winning a simple majority of over 50 per cent, with a percentage margin above the quick counts’ margin of error.
This margin of error for Indikator Politik's and Kompas' polls are 1 per cent and less than 1 per cent respectively, as noted by Kompas.
Top image via Prabowo Subianto/Instagram