The three candidates in the Indonesian presidential election participated in their second televised debate, about a month before the first round of voting.
Security, geopolitical and diplomatic issues dominated the debate.
Prabowo Subianto, the current Minister of Defense and the most likely candidate to succeed President Joko Widodo, said, “Through good relations with various powers, we can ensure our national interests,” in line with Indonesia’s historical strategy within the Non-Aligned Movement.
Joko Widodo cannot run again for president after two terms.
Subianto, a 72-year-old former general, added, “We will continue to pursue the good-neighbourliness policy.”
About 205 million voters were called to the polls on February 14, 2024 to choose a successor to the current president, who assumed the presidency for the first time in 2014.
He will face Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Prano, former governor of Central Java, and Anies Baswedan, former governor of the capital, Jakarta.
If none of the three candidates obtains a majority of votes in the first round, a second round will be held in June between the two candidates who receive the largest number of votes.
Prabowo stressed the importance of strengthening military power to defend the country's independence.
As for Anis Baswedan, he raised the issue of the threat resulting from electronic piracy incidents, pledging to establish a cyber defense system.
He also stressed that he would make Indonesia an active country in the international scene, thanks to its cultural and artistic fields.
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