Prabowo Subianto, presidential candidate for the upcoming Indonesian elections, claimed on Feb. 2, 2024 that three presidents are supporting him in his run.

The three are: Incumbent Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and the late Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who passed away some 14 years ago.

Prabowo: Jokowi "clearly" one of the supporters

Prabowo said this at the Youth National Campaign (Apel Akbar Tim Kampanye Nasional Muda) in Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He said: "I feel that behind me, there is the support of three presidents. President Jokowi is clearly one of them. It’s also clear that the sixth President SBY [supports me]."

Prabowo is one of three presidential candidates, and his running mate is President Jokowi's eldest, son Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

While Jokowi has said he will not campaign for any of the presidential candidates, many believe that he is leaning towards Prabowo.

He has been sighted with Prabowo several times in the days leading up to Indonesia's presidential election.

This includes him standing beside Prabowo, who is currently Indonesia's defence minister, at a military handover ceremony at an air base in Jakarta and having meals with him.

Prabowo: "Senses" dead president's support

Jokowi's predecessor, SBY, on the other hand, has outrightly thrown his support behind Prabowo-Gibran, "going down the mountain" by campaigning for the pair in several provinces, Kompas reported.

And while Gus Dur passed away in December 2009, Prabowo said he "sensed" the late president's support.

"And I also sense the support of President Abdurrahman Wahid behind me," he said, but did not elaborate why he believed so.

Previously in August 2023, National Awakening Party (PKB) deputy secretary general Syaiful Huda said he remembered Gus Dur telling him that Prabowo will be Indonesia's president when he is "old". Prabowo is currently 72.

Apart from one of his daughters, Yenny Wahid, who is a campaign advisor to another presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, the rest of Gus Dur's immediate family has said they will remain neutral in the upcoming presidential election.

2024 Indonesia elections

Ganjar's running mate is Indonesia's former chief security minister, Mahfud MD, who recently resigned from his post to avoid conflict of interest.

The remaining presidential and vice presidential hopefuls are Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar respectively.

Indonesians will go to the polls and vote for one of the three pairs on Feb. 14, 2024.

Besides voting for their next president and vice president, they will also be electing their next national, provincial and regency lawmakers, and regional senator.

While unofficial results will be released within 24 hours of voting, the finalised results will only be announced 35 days later, at the earliest, Reuters reported.

A presidential candidate needs more than 50 per cent of votes cast overall and at least 20 per cent of votes in more than half the country's provinces to win.

If no candidate achieves this, a run-off presidential election will be held in June between the two candidates with the most votes.

The next president will take office in October.

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