Who is Prabowo Subianto?
The 73-year-old former defense minister took oath in front of MPs and foreign guests from more than 40 countries. The oath was taken with the holy book of Islam, the Quran, according to the tradition of Indonesia.
Prabowo Subianto took oath as the President of Indonesia on Sunday. After which he has become the leader of the world's third largest democracy. Prabowo has been a general of the Indonesian army, he is also accused of human rights violations during the dark days of military dictatorship.
The 73-year-old former defense minister took oath in front of MPs and foreign guests from more than 40 countries. The oath was taken with the holy book of Islam, the Quran, according to the tradition of Indonesia.
He has won this election after his policies of providing free food to children in schools and improving education. Prabowo won the election on 14 February with about 60 percent of the votes and in the last nine months he has worked on building a strong parliamentary coalition.
Prabowo was born on 17 October 1951 in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was born into Indonesia's most powerful family. His father Somitron Djojadikumo was a great economist and leader of the country, who held many important ministerial positions in the government during the presidential tenures of Sukarno and Soeharto. His mother Mary Siregar was a housewife, but she also returned to the country after studying surgical nursing from the Netherlands. Prabowo's grandfather Magrono was also the founder of Bank Negara Indonesia BAI.
Political journey
Prabowo joined the Indonesian Army in 1974 and rose to the rank of Army General. In 2008, he founded the Gerindra Party and was elected its president in 2014. On 25 October 2023, Prabowo filed his nomination as a presidential candidate from the Gerindra-led Onward Indonesia coalition and became the President of Indonesia on Sunday after winning the elections in February.
Tight security on the streets of Jakarta
Tight security arrangements were made in Indonesia's capital Jakarta during the swearing-in ceremony. About one lakh police personnel were deployed on the streets of the capital to protect foreign guests and Prabowo. After Prabowo took oath, his supporters are celebrating on the streets of Jakarta.