Within that spectrum, accounts of his rise to contemporary prominence highlight young Indonesians’ ignorance of his military past. With more than 100 million Indonesians under the age of 40 registered for the polls, he has a chance of outbidding his rivals for the millennial vote given his commanding personality leavened by cultivated charm.
Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto is set to make his mark in the general election to be held in the middle of February. Many analysts and observers see him as beating his two rivals for the presidency, former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.
In spite of his controversial past in the military, General Prabowo has reinvented himself as an avuncular leader who combines nationalism, populism and charisma in a way to appeal to Indonesians across the demographic spectrum.
