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☆ Indonesia’s new leader posted video of his congratulatory call with Trump. Both lavished each other with praise
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto posted a video of his phone call congratulating Donald Trump on his reelection, during which the former special forces commander referenced his American “training” and called the US-president elect “sir” multiple times. Prabowo, who is in Washington for an official visit, posted the almost three-minute phone conversation on his official social media channels Monday and said he would like to “call personally” on Trump. “Wherever you are I’m willing to fly to congratulate you personally, sir,” Prabowo said in the video. It’s not easy,” Trump told Prabowo. “The most important objective of democracy is giving people the leaders and representatives they want,” Prabowo told reporters from his swimming pool.

Persons: CNN —, Prabowo Subianto, Donald Trump, “, Prabowo, ” Prabowo, Trump, Joe Biden, scrutinizing, ”, ” Trump, Xi Jinping, Keir Starmer, Joko, Suharto Organizations: CNN, Trump, White, he’s, Soviet, Reuters, Pacific Cooperation, British, News Agency Locations: Washington, Indonesia, United States, Indonesian, Washington , DC, Asia, Beijing, China, Peru, Brazil, Jakarta, Prabowo, London

But Widodo appointed Subianto as defense chief after his reelection, paving the way for an alliance despite their rival political parties. Backed by Widodo, Subianto swept to a landslide victory in February’s direct presidential election on promises of policy continuity. Subianto was sworn in with his new vice president, 37-year-old Surakarta ex-Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Leaders and senior officials from more than 30 countries flew in to attend the ceremony, including Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and leaders of Southeast Asia countries. Indonesia is a bastion of democracy in Southeast Asia, a diverse and economically bustling region of authoritarian governments, police states and nascent democracies.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, Subianto, Prabowo, Gibran, ”, Atalaric Eka, “, Joko Widodo, Widodo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Raka, don’t, Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al, Hussein, Nancy Namrouqa, Abdullah, Han Zheng, Joe Biden, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Adm, Samuel Paparo, ” Subianto, Suharto Organizations: Widodo, Southeast Asia —, Foreign, U.S, United Nations, Pacific Command, American, Army Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jakarta, Surakarta, Southeast Asia, Jordan, Jordanian, Amman, Gaza, Subianto, Asia, United States, China, U.S, Australia, Indonesian, Borneo

☆ Ex-general Prabowo, once accused of rights abuses, takes up presidency of world’s third-largest democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Jakarta Reuters —Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world’s third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues such as corruption that plague the country and to make it more self-sufficient. “We must always realise that a free nation is where the people are free,” Prabowo said, at times raising his voice. Newly-inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto greets supporters after being sworn in as the country's eighth president in Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2024. Flower boards outside the palace either congratulated Prabowo and Gibran or thanked Jokowi for his decade of service. Jokowi supporters are also attending the celebrations to bid farewell to Indonesia’s outgoing leader.

Persons: Prabowo, ” Prabowo, “, ”, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Joko “, Widodo, Sugiono, Prabowo Subianto, Dita Alangkara, Gibran, Jokowi, Anneta, “ Prabowo, Critics, Han Zheng, Linda Thomas, Joko Widodo, Achmad Ibrahim, Suharto Organizations: Jakarta Reuters —, Sunday, US Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia’s, Indonesian, China, United States, Greenfield, Indonesia's, Indonesia, Gaza, Papua, East Timor

Dili, East Timor CNN —Pope Francis received a rapturous welcome from the tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, one of the world’s most Catholic countries, where more than half the population is expected to turn out for an open-air mass on Tuesday. People wait for Pope Francis to arrive at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, on September 10, 2024. Pope Francis greets Catholic worshipers in Dili, East Timor, on September 10, 2024. Four hundred years of ensuing Portuguese colonial rule led to the widespread spread of Catholicism in East Timor and other cultural differences from Muslim-majority Indonesia. East Timor is also on track to become the 11th member of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, which could happen next year.

Persons: East Timor CNN — Pope Francis, Francis, Pope Francis, Firdia, ”, Willy Kurniawan, Francis ’, Carlos Ximenes Belo, Pope Francis ’, Pope John Paul II, Christina Kheng, ” Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Bishop Belo, Jose Ramos, Belo, Groene Amsterdammer, defrocked, Richard Daschbach, Xanana Gusmao, Mary, Bishop, Suharto’s Organizations: East Timor CNN, Timor Leste, Catholic Church, Timor, CNN, Asian Pastoral Institute, Reuters, US, Australia, Southeast, ASEAN, Vatican, Belo, East Timor, Jakarta, UN Locations: Dili, East Timor, Asia, strollers, Dili , East Timor, Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Australia, Portuguese, East, United States, Horta, Portugal, Santa Cruz, East Timor’s, Bishop Belo, Indonesian, Jakarta, Australian

☆ Incumbents pay the price in year of global elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And elections in Taiwan and South Korea proved the dynamism of the idea that free elections can promote stable governance. The two round French election system once again kept the far-right out of power on Sunday but Macron’s gamble didn’t exactly pay off. An era of political turmoil now looms with a hung parliament, a likely shaky coalition and instability ahead of the next presidential election in 2027. Kevin Coombs/ReutersIndonesiaPrabowo Subianto, a former army general, won the presidential election in the world’s fourth most populous nation, which is home to its largest Muslim population. IranIran wasn’t supposed to have a presidential election this year.

Persons: El, they’ve, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Trump —, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Le, Macron, Keir Starmer, Kevin Coombs, Suharto, Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Imran Khan, Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Sheikh Hasina, Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Putin, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ”, Bukele, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, ObturadorMX, Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, Lai Ching, Yoon Suk Yeol, André Ventura, Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico, Fico, Nelson Mandela —, —, Macky Sall, Sall, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Pezeshkian Organizations: CNN, European Union, United States –, France, European People’s Party, Popular Front, Britain Voters, Conservative, Labour Party, Reuters, Reuters Indonesia Prabowo, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, Bangladeshi, Kremlin, El, El Salvador Strongman, El Salvador —, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Portugal Incumbents, Democratic Alliance coalition, Putin, Russian, South Africa Voters, National Congress, ANC, Democratic Alliance Locations: France, Britain, Iran, El Salvador, Slovakia, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United States, India, Senegal, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, London, Reuters Indonesia, Subianto, New Delhi, Reuters Pakistan, Pakistan, —, Bangladesh, South Asia, America, China, Beijing, Portugal, Ukraine, Europe, Senegal Senegal, Africa, Sall, Iran Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ Voice of Baceprot prepare for Glastonbury debut, metal-mad Indonesia cheers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Indonesia is home to the most metal fans in Asia so heavy metal bands love coming to play here,” said Hammersonic CEO Ravel Junardy. Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe performs during Hammersonic in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 9, 2015. Indonesian heavy metal band Death Vomit from Yogjakarta are known for their ferocious and brutal sound. Rajawali IndonesiaGerman metal band Kreator holds up a banner during their performance at the Jogjarockarta festival on January 27, 2024. She first saw them live at a music festival in Singapore back in 2021 and says she is looking forward to their Glastonbury debut.

Persons: Sza, Firda “, ” Kurnia, ”, Marsya, Euis Siti Aisyah, Widi Rahmawati, metalhead –, “, Miikka Skaffari, Firda Kurnia, Tom Morello –, replaying, Malala Yousafzai, VOB, Anthrax, Joko Widodo, Olivia Rondonuwu, Indonesia’s, Sukarno, “ Sukarno, Jeremy Wallach, Suharto, ” Wallach, Metallica, –, Widodo, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Jokowi, Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Slipknot, Lamb, God, Ravel Junardy, Randy Blythe, Eddy Purwanto, Dave Mustaine, Corna Irawan, Anas Syahrul Alimi, Anas, “ Dave Mustaine, ” Anas, Kreator, Dougie, Mark LeVine, ” LeVine, LeVine, Faezah Eli Organizations: CNN, Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Jakarta Institute of Arts, Malala, “, ” “, Getty, Western, AFP, Megadeth, Rajawali, Machine, Glastonbury Locations: Indonesia, Britain, Dua, Glastonbury, Indonesian, Damar, Oakland , California, Jakarta, Bay, AFP, ” “ Jakarta, “, West, Southeast Asia, “ Indonesia, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Java, Yogyakarta, Rajawali Indonesia German, Rajawali Indonesia, Surabaya, East, North Africa, Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom

☆ Asia is entering a deepfake era in an election year — can it handle misinformation campaigns?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Chelsea Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The AI-generated deepfake video that cloned his face and voice racked up 4.7 million views on X alone. In Pakistan, a deepfake of former prime minister Imran Khan emerged around the national elections, announcing his party was boycotting them. Deepfakes of politicians are becoming increasingly common, especially with 2024 set up to be the biggest global election year in history. With tech companies adopting different measures across their platforms, a multi-prong approach is needed, she said. watch now"We should not just be relying on the good intentions of these companies," Chesterman added.

Persons: Suharto, Imran Khan, Joe Biden's, deepfakes, Simon Chesterman, Crowdstrike, — that's, Carol, Chesterman, Taylor Swift, Adam Meyers, X, OpenAI, “, I’m, we’re, Sam Altman Organizations: Istock, , New Hampshire voters, Singapore, Institute of Policy Studies, Microsoft, Meta, Google, IBM, Tech, Adobe, Intel Locations: deepfakes, Pakistan, U.S, , New Hampshire, Asia, China, Russia, Iran, Singapore, CrowdStrike, they're

☆ Prabowo Subianto: Once banned from the US, this fiery ex-army general is poised to lead Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“The most important objective of democracy is giving people the leaders and representatives they want,” Prabowo told reporters from his pool. Antara Foto/Galih Pradipta/ReutersMany are excited about a Prabowo presidency, like this hardcore supporter who has clearly taken his support to the extreme. Bagus Saragih/AFP/Getty ImagesMore recently, Prabowo has presented himself as a loyal Jokowi ally, serving as his defense minister for the past five years. Experts say Prabowo, known for his fiery speeches, military background and combative past will make for a very different kind of president. Indonesia has long been one of Australia’s most important bilateral relationships and experts say that will not change with Prabowo in charge.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, ” Prabowo, Prabowo, Indonesia’s, Partai Probawo, Gibran, “ Prabowo, ”, Zachary Abuza, Abuza, “, Antara, Pradipta, Saragih, Widodo, Barack Obama, Tom Pepinsky, Rodrigo Duterte, Javier Milei, Trump, ” “, Dita Alangkara, Jokowi, Jacqui Baker, Laura Schwartz, Schwartz, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Adek Berry, Chong Ja Ian, Suharto, –, Dan Slater, Prabowo “, ” Slater, Chaideer Mahyuddin, Chong, Juni Kriswanto, Usman Hamid, Papuans, Veronica Koman, ” Koman Organizations: CNN, National War College, Getty, Southeast Asia, Cornell University, “, Center, Research, Senior Southeast, National University of Singapore, Center for Emerging Democracies, University of Michigan, Muda Airforce, Amnesty International Locations: Jakarta, United States, South Jakarta, Washington ,, AFP, Indonesia, Singapore, Ukraine, Russia, China, Australia, Asian, Perth, Asia, Beijing, Washington, “ Washington, Sultan, Muda, Aceh, West Papua, South China, Tentara Nasional Indonesia, Southeast Asia, “, Papua, Amnesty International Indonesia, restive, Indonesian, East Timor

Tech executives from Adobe, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and TikTok gathered at the Munich Security Conference to announce a new voluntary framework for how they will respond to AI-generated deepfakes that deliberately trick voters. Thirteen other companies — including IBM and Elon Musk's X — are also signing on to the accord. Instead, the accord outlines methods they will use to try to detect and label deceptive AI content when it is created or distributed on their platforms. That pressure is heightened in the U.S., where Congress has yet to pass laws regulating AI in politics, leaving AI companies to largely govern themselves. Many social media companies already have policies in place to deter deceptive posts about electoral processes — AI-generated or not.

Persons: TikTok, Elon Musk's, ”, Nick Clegg, ” Clegg, Joe Biden’s, Suharto, Jeff Allen, McAfee, —, Linda Yaccarino Organizations: . Tech, Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Munich Security, IBM, Elon, Facebook, “, Federal Communications Commission, Integrity Institute, Arm Holdings, Twitter, Associated Press, AP Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ Indonesian President's Son Also Rises, but What Will His Role as New VP Be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Many voters say they were drawn to president-in-waiting Prabowo Subianto's ticket in part because of the ex-commander having Jokowi's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate. That puts Gibran on track to be the youngest vice president in Indonesia's history. Gibran's path to the vice presidency has also raised questions about how prepared he is to step up to the national stage, even if the vice presidency is a position with limited power and influence. Past vice presidents have typically tended to play a low-key role, unless given a specific mandate by the president. Jokowi has repeatedly denied he was involved in Gibran's decision to run for mayor, and then for the vice presidency.

Persons: Ananda Teresia, Kate Lamb JAKARTA, Joko Widodo, Prabowo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Gibran, Jokowi, Kevin O'Rourke, Gibran's, Suharto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan Locations: Jakarta, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia

☆ Indonesia's Likely New President Haunts Father of Missing Activist
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Rights activists say it was inspired by mothers in Argentina, who staged silent protests every Thursday in memory of people who were killed or disappeared during the 1976-1983 military rule there. Other portraits of the young man were hanging on the wall of his drawing room. In the wake of Suharto's resignation, Paian said he and his family visited hospitals and police stations searching for his son. Indonesia's human rights commission completed its report on the incident in 2006, which was submitted to authorities. But no action has been taken on its recommendation to set up a special human rights court to try those suspected in the disappearances in 1997-98.

Persons: Kate Lamb JAKARTA, Indonesia's, Ucok, Prabowo, Prabowo's, Paian, We're, Suharto's, Suharto, Budiman, he's, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Commission Locations: Jakarta, Argentina, West Java

☆ Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo leads in early unofficial presidential vote count
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Clement Tan | In Clemtan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Indonesia's presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto gestures after he cast his ballot to vote in the country's presidential and legislative elections at a polling station in Bogor on February 14, 2024. Indonesians began voting for a new president on February 14 with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto the frontrunner to lead Southeast Asia's biggest economy despite concerns over his human rights record. Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former army general, appears to have an early unofficial lead in the race to become country's next president, "quick counts" show after voting in the world's third-largest democracy closed on Wednesday. Prabowo appears to have won a simple majority of ballots cast in Wednesday's elections, with some early independent snap counts putting his percentage of the popular vote at nearly 60% — substantively more than what pre-election opinion polls yielded. "It's too early to conclude anything … so we have to wait," Baswedan told CNBC after the early snap counts suggested he was trailing Prabowo.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, country's, Prabowo, Anies Baswedan, Pranowo, Suharto, Joko Widodo, It's, Baswedan, CNBC's Martin Soong Organizations: Defence, Indonesia's, Former Jakarta, Central Java, Indikator, CNBC Locations: Bogor, Central, Indonesia

☆ Indonesia's Presumed New President Pays Tribute to Strongman Suharto
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ananda TeresiaJAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's presumed new president Prabowo Subianto paid tribute to the nation's past leaders during a triumphant victory speech on Wednesday, joking about his close ties to his ex-father-in-law and former authoritarian ruler, Suharto. Addressing a sea of jubilant fans, the 72-year-old waxed lyrical about being carried in the arms of the nation's founder Sukarno, and offered gags about massaging former leader Abdurrahman Wahid and lunching with Suharto, Indonesia's second president. "Regarding the second president, I know him quite well," he said as the crowd at the Senayan sports stadium roared. With the second president, I often had lunch with him." Suharto, Indonesia's late strongman president, oversaw decades of repressive rule and one of the world's most corrupt regimes before being forced to step down during mass protests and an economic crisis in 1998.

Persons: Ananda Teresia, Prabowo Subianto, Suharto, Sukarno, Abdurrahman Wahid, lunching, Indonesia's, Prabowo, Titiek Suharto, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Gibran, Ida Yayan, Muhammad Luth, Joko Widodo, Kate Lamb, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ananda Locations: Ananda Teresia JAKARTA, illiberalism, Jakarta

☆ Analysis-Indonesia's Prabowo Poised for Power, but How Will He Rule?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

One major question is how well, and for how long, his alliance with outgoing President Joko Widodo, or "Jokowi", will hold. On the campaign trail Prabowo has promised policy "continuity", but analysts say that is far from guaranteed. "Make no mistake a President Prabowo would be his own president." 'UNCERTAINTY' ON THE CARDSIn contrast to Jokowi, Prabowo is from an elite family, the son of a prominent Indonesian economist and the ex-son-law of the country's former authoritarian ruler, Suharto. Once his victory is officially endorsed, Prabowo will assume the controls of Southeast Asia's biggest economy on October 20.

Persons: Kate Lamb JAKARTA, Prabowo Subianto, Prabowo, Long, general's, Joko Widodo, Liam Gammon, Jokowi, Doug Ramage, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Indonesia's, Kevin O'Rourke, Suharto, “, He's, ANU's Gammon, Gammon, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Defence, Australian National University, ANU, Jokowi, Analysts, Human Rights Watch Locations: Indonesia, Prabowo, BowerGroupAsia, Indonesian, Ukraine, Qatar

☆ Indonesia election: Over 200 million will head to the polls across vast nation in world’s biggest election day
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —More than 200 million eligible voters will head to the polls in Indonesia on Wednesday, in what is billed as the world’s biggest single-day election. Mascots depicting presidential candidate and Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto (L) and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka (R) in an election event on February 5, 2024. He has strong links with Islamic political groups, and his vice-presidential pick, Muhaimin Iskandar, is the leader of Indonesia’s largest Muslim political party, the National Awakening Party. A presidential candidate needs a simple majority of at least 50% of total votes and 20% of votes in more than half of the country’s 38 provinces to win. The use and abuse of AIWith more than 210 million Internet users, Indonesia boasts one of the world’s largest digital populations.

Persons: Suharto’s, Prabowo Subianto, he’s, Suharto, ” Kenneth Roth, Ganjar, Mahfud, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Adek Berry, Anies Baswedan, Muhaimin Iskandar, Anies, –, Basuki Tjahaja, Joko Widodo, Jokowi, Prabowo, Gibran, Jokowi’s, ”, Adrian Vickers, Vickers, “, Yusof, Maria Monica Wihardja, ” Wihardja, Sayyidatiihayaa, Satya Bumi, ” Sayyidatiihayaa, Ulet Ifansasti Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, Princeton University, Indonesian Democratic Party of, Indonesia's Defence, Getty, Former Jakarta, Islamic, National Awakening Party, University of Sydney, Prabowo, Lembaga, Transparency International, Indonesia Locations: Indonesia, United States, Central Java, Jakarta, Indonesia’s, AFP, Chinese, Indonesian, Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Nusantara, Borneo

☆ Indonesia Votes for New President Under Shadow of Influential Incumbent
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Those surveys show Prabowo with 51.8% and 51.9% support, with Anies and Ganjar a whopping 27 and 31 points adrift respectively. To win outright, a candidate needs over 50% of votes and to secure 20% of the ballot in half of the country's provinces. "Jokowi as the decisive factor has been proven by the rising popularity of Prabowo," said Arya Fernandes of Indonesia's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But whether or not Prabowo can win in one round, there are some other factors outside of Jokowi," he said, noting turnout would be crucial for Prabowo. "The candidates' programmes will be the decisive factor... Populist pledges that are easy to remember will be very influential."

Persons: Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Joko Widodo, Ganjar, Anies, Prabowo Subianto, Suharto, Prabowo, Jokowi, Arya Fernandes, Jokowi's, Wasisto Raharjo, Martin Petty, Nick Macfie Organizations: Defence, Widodo, Indonesia's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Central Java, Prabowo, National Agency for Research, Innovation Locations: Stanley Widianto JAKARTA, Indonesia, country's, Jokowi, Jakarta, Jokowi's

It is a three-way race for the presidency among current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and two former provincial governors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo. While he is the oldest candidate, his running mate is the youngest: 36-year-old Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo's son. His running mate is Mohammad Mahfud, who resigned as security minister to focus on campaigning. He is also a former defense minister, justice minister and chief justice of the Constitutional Court. His choice of Muhaimin Iskandar as his running mate in Wednesday's election is viewed as an attempt to rebuild that support.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, Anies, Subianto, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Suharto, Widodo's, Raka, —, GANJAR, Pranowo, ” Pranowo, Mohammad Mahfud, ANIES, Baswedan, Widodo, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Muhaimin Iskandar, Iskandar’s, ” Organizations: SUBIANTO, Gerindra Party, Constitutional, Indonesian Democratic Party of, Central Java, FIFA, Islamic, Fulbright, Awakening Party, Ulama, Associated Press Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jordan, Surakarta, Central, Israel, Jakarta, Chinese, Wednesday's, Nusantara, Borneo

☆ AI ‘resurrects’ long dead dictator in murky new era of deepfake electioneering
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“As a member of Golkar, I am very proud of Suharto because he successfully developed Indonesia,” Aksa wrote on X. The Golkar-produced Suharto video was just one of dozens featured in official party campaigns, they said. AI photos made by supporters, have also been used by Ganjar’s party in his campaign. Indonesia’s Communications Ministry issued advisories following several viral AI videos, warning tech companies and voters to be cautious of deepfakes. TAPP (Tim Advokasi Peduli Pemilu), a Jakarta-based nonprofit, said that videos like the Suharto deepfake showed AI’s potential for voter manipulation.

Persons: Suharto, ”, Erwin Aksa, Golkar –, Prabowo Subianto, –, ” Aksa, Golda Benjamin, Ganjar, Darryl Ramadhan, Muhammad Zulfan Dalimunthe, ” Budisatrio, Prabowo’s, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Anies, ” Anies, TAPP, Tim Advokasi Peduli, Suharto deepfake, Gugum Ridho, Rahmat Pribadi, Suharto Suharto’s, Soe Tjen, Anton Pratama, “, ” Anton Organizations: CNN, Facebook, YouTube, Golkar, Asia Pacific, ”, Gerindra Party, Central Java Gov, Ganjar’s Democratic Party of, Jakarta Gov, Indonesia’s Communications Ministry, Getty, SOAS University of London Locations: Indonesia, Indonesian, Asia, Jakarta, Lubuk Pakam, North Sumatra, AFP, Gugum Ridho Putra, East Timor, Aceh, West Papua, Maluku, Yogyakarta

☆ In Indonesia, an Election Threatens Democracy Itself - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Gordon Laforge | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Indonesia’s transformation into a stable democracy over the past quarter century was as improbable as it was remarkable. Ethnic and religious violence across the sprawling archipelago raised the specter of Balkanization or a military crackdown. Then, against the odds, the nation’s entrenched elites acceded to public demands for reform and the military withdrew from political life, ushering in an era of open, competitive elections. Corruption and dysfunction persisted, but the world’s fourth most populous country emerged as a rare bright spot for liberalism. Indonesians will vote for a new president on Wednesday to succeed the outgoing Joko Widodo.

Persons: Suharto, Joko

He served as mayor of Solo city, where he was born to a working-class family in illegally built shacks along a river, then became governor of the capital, Jakarta, before clinching his first presidential term. Widodo was the first Indonesian president to emerge outside the political and military elite. But critics say he thrived on political compromises, became beholden to political party supporters and accommodated ex-generals who served under the late authoritarian leader Suharto. Under Widodo, Indonesia saw a period of remarkable growth averaging 5% annually, except in 2020, when the economy contracted due to the coronavirus pandemic. His economic roadmap, called “Golden Indonesia 2045,” projects Indonesia becoming one of the world’s top five economies with GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after it won independence from Dutch colonizers.

Persons: Widodo —, Barack Obama —, Widodo, Suharto, Prabowo Subianto, ” Widodo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo’s, —, Metallica, Subianto, we’ve, ”, Dwi Mustikarini, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Xi Jingping, Jim Gomez Organizations: White, Bloomberg Television, Associated Press Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Borneo, Southeast Asia, Solo, Jakarta, Surakarta, Central Java, Widodo's, New York, Widodo, Kyiv, Moscow, China

☆ Factbox-Candidates for Indonesia's Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

(Reuters) - Indonesia holds a presidential election on Feb. 14, with three contenders vying to succeed incumbent Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, as leader of the world's third-largest democracy and its most populous Muslim-majority nation. He is not a member of a political party but is backed by three parties, including a secular party in the ruling coalition and the conservative Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). He is the nephew of the late Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, a well-respected former president and religious leader. After losing the 2019 election, he was appointed defence minister by Jokowi, a move analysts say helped heal divisions. Prabowo chairs the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party, which endorsed him as its presidential candidate last year.

Persons: Joko Widodo, ANIES BASWEDAN, Jokowi, Anies, Basuki Tjahaja, Muhaimin Iskandar, Imin, Abdurrahman Wahid, Gus Dur, Ganjar, Mahfud, Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, Suharto, Prabowo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Gibran, Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Fulbright, Islamic Prosperous Justice Party, National Awakening Party, Ulama, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Israel, Islamic, NU, Mahfud, Great Indonesia Movement, Constitutional Locations: Indonesia, Jakarta, Chinese, East Java, Central Java, Surakarta

☆ Why This Presidential Front-Runner Is Stirring Fears of the ‘Death of Democracy’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even so, Prabowo Subianto has spent the past two decades trying his hand at democratic politics, donning different personas in multiple attempts to become Indonesia’s leader. Now, a month before the next election, nearly every poll shows Mr. Prabowo, 72, leading in the first round of voting. A victory for Mr. Prabowo, his critics warn, would revive a dark past. “What will happen is the death of democracy,” said Hendardi, the director of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace. “We have long been against Prabowo,” he added, “and with our limited power, we were still able to prevent him from moving forward.

Persons: Indonesia’s, Subianto, Prabowo, Joko Widodo, Suharto, Prabowo’s, ”, Hendardi Organizations: Setara Institute for Democracy Locations: East Timor

☆ The horror of Henry Kissinger’s legacy in Southeast Asia goes on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Fifty years after Henry Kissinger drove American foreign policy in Southeast Asia, the region continues to live with the fallout from the bombing and military campaigns backed by the former secretary of state, who died last week. That’s more than the Allies dropped during World War II, according to an account by Yale University historian Ben Kiernan. Experts say the devastation – which is especially acute for people in rural areas – will go on for years to come. That’s Kissinger’s legacy,” said Bill Morse, president of the nonprofit Landmine Relief Fund, which supports organizations including Cambodia Self-Help Demining. They play catch with it and it blows up 10 year old children … (unexploded ordnance) are where the injuries are coming from now,” he said.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Richard Nixon, ”, Youk Chhang, Chhang, Nixon, Vietnam –, CNN It’s, Gerald Ford, Suharto’s, “ Kissinger, Chong Ja Ian, Ben Kiernan, …, That’s, Bill Morse, Morse, Le Duc Tho, “, Barack Obama Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Center of Cambodia, CNN, National University of Singapore, ”, Yale University, Paris Peace Accords, MPI, Getty, NPR Locations: Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Khmer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Khmer, Laos, East Timor, United States, Missouri, destabilized, Paris, United Kingdom

☆ Once disgraced, Indonesian ex-general tipped for presidency after makeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto gestures while attending a meeting of his Gerindra Party, in Bogor, Indonesia August 12, 2022. "We are ready to move forward for Indonesia," Prabowo told a press conference. The former special forces commander has undergone a remarkable transformation since being appointed defence minister in 2019, cultivating a persona that is more charismatic statesman than fiery, pious nationalist, analysts say. An opinion poll published by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) this month showed Prabowo ahead of his two opponents with 34% support. It's a change from previous campaigns where we've seen nationalist populist Prabowo, and pro-Islamist Prabowo," said Ross Tapsell, from the Australian National University.

Persons: Prabowo, Willy Kurniawan, Prabowo Subianto, Joko Widodo's, Suharto, Lembaga Survei, Ganjar Pranowo, LSI's Djayadi Hanan, Jokowi, Prabowo's, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Suharto's, Siti Hediati Hariyadi, we've, Ross Tapsell, Najwa Shihab, Shihab, Andreas Harsono, Ananda Teresia, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Indonesian Defence, Party, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Pentagon, Australian National University ., Human Rights, Prabowo, Thomson Locations: Bogor, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Jordan, United States, Papua, East Timor, Lembaga Survei Indonesia, Europe, Middle, Paris, Beijing, Indonesian, Jakarta

The endorsement of Jokowi, who commands approval ratings of 80%, will have direct bearing on who wins February's election. Days later Golkar and PAN announced support for Prabowo, giving him the largest party support base. Jokowi has also lent support to Ganjar, deploying teams and volunteer groups to work on his campaign, four sources said. Jokowi has also engaged in talks about vice presidential picks for both Ganjar and Prabowo, three sources said. "Ganjar and Prabowo are 'Jokowi's men' but who knows after Jokowi steps down," he said.

Persons: Indonesia's, Joko, Subianto, Sana Jaffrey, Jokowi, Ganjar, Prabowo, Megawati Sukarnoputri, kingmaker, nepotistic autocrat, Suharto, It's, ANU's Jaffrey, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's, Kaesang Pangarep, Bobby Nasution, Yoes, Kate Lamb, Ananda Teresia, Kanupriya Kapoor, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's National University, Democratic Party of Struggle, Prabowo, Golkar, National Mandate Party, PAN, PDI, Constitutional, Indonesian Solidarity Party, Atma Jaya University, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Jokowi, Surakarta, Medan, Indonesia's

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