Indonesia candidates call on president to remain neutral ahead of 2024 poll

Two potential successors of Indonesia’s outgoing President Joko Widodo on Monday called on him to remain neutral in the run-up to next year’s election amid public criticism he may be trying to retain power after leaving office.
Presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo urged the leader to maintain neutrality ahead of the Feb. 14, 2024 election, which is also being contested by Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto who is running with the president’s son.
“We often meet with people who love the president and they have a message: the president must maintain neutrality,” ex-Jakarta governor Anies told reporters after a lunch with Jokowi and the other presidential candidates at the state palace.
Democracy activists and political sources have raised concerns over what they see as Jokowi’s attempts to cling to power and build a political dynasty, especially after a recent court ruling tweaked eligibility criteria, allowing the president’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to join Prabowo’s ticket.
Analysts say the political maneouvering risks entrenching dynastic and patronage politics in a country that bore authoritarian rule for 32 years until 1998.