Ex-Indon Defense Chief Linked to Atrocities: I Won Prexy Race

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general linked to past human rights atrocities, claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election, based on unofficial tallies, Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Unofficial tallies see Subianto having between 57% and 59% of votes, with more than 80% of the vote counted in polling places sampled. I Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense Flickr

The 72-year-old candidate, who was once banned by the US from entering for two decades due to his human rights record, told thousands of supporters in a sports stadium in the capital, Jakarta, that the victory, according to an early, unofficial “quick count,” was “the victory of all Indonesians.”

There was no declaration by electoral officials and the two former provincial governors who also contested the election in the world’s third-largest democracy have not conceded defeat.

Subianto was an army general during the brutal period of the Suharto dictatorship that ended just over 25 years ago. He served as a special forces commander in a unit linked to torture and disappearances.

According to the unofficial tallies conducted by Indonesian polling agencies, Subianto had between 57% and 59% of votes, with more than 80% of the vote counted in polling places sampled.

Widodo’s rise from a riverside slum to the presidency has shown the vibrancy of Indonesia’s democracy in a region rife with authoritarian regimes. But with a leading candidate linked to a former dictator, and Widodo’s son on the ballot, some observers fear that democracy is eroding.

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