Protests Rock Indonesia As Tens Of Thousands Protest Election Result
Thousands of protesters in Indonesia's capital Jakarta clashed with upwards of 50,000 police and military personnel as the nation's highest court supported the outcome of last month's presidential election.
The losing presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, alleged that the election was plagued with fraud that he had been cheated out of victory. Indonesia's Constitutional Court ruled against Subianto's claim, confirming Joko Widodo as Indonesia's president-elect.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy. It is also a fledgling democracy, having been ruled by for 31 years, until 1998, by Suharto.
In the run up to the constitutional court's announcement of its ruling, thousands peacefully protested in support of Prabowo Subianto.
Beawiharta Beawiharta/REUTERS
However, as it became apparent that Subianto was determined to have lost the elections, the protests quickly turned violent.
Beawiharta Beawiharta/REUTERS
Demonstrators used four trucks to try to ram through barriers prompting a police response and a lockdown of several neighborhoods in Jakarta.
Beawiharta Beawiharta/REUTERS
Many of the protesters are alleged to be paid professionals bussed into the city to give the impression of a public outcry.
Darren Whiteside/REUTERS
As the protests escalated, the police and military had to resort to using tear gas and mass arrests to maintain order.
Beawiharta Beawiharta/REUTERS
President-elect Widobo is seen as a reformer in the country newly dedicated to rooting out corruption. He is the first politician in Indonesia not to have ties to the past dictatorship.
Darren Whiteside/REUTERS
- I got a $40K raise using this 30-second strategy. It made me realize loud work, not hard work, always wins.
- A millennial manager went viral after her Gen Z assistant picked up a work call while at the hair salon: 'Go off queen'
- Qatar Airways' new CEO explains why it's sticking with the Airbus A380 as other airlines retire the costly superjumbo
- Kia India looks to expand sales, service network to 700 touchpoints by year-end
- Shapoorji Pallonji’s Afcons Infra files DRHP for ₹7,000 crore IPO
- Water crisis affects businesses across Bengaluru; Is there room for cautious optimism?
- BenQ Zowie EC2-CW review – Premium wireless mouse for gamers
- Banks' GNPAs set to improve further to 2.1 pc by FY25: Care Ratings