Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as Indonesia’s eighth president in Jakarta, completing a political ascent from former general and twice-defeated presidential candidate to the country’s highest office. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 37-year-old former mayor of Surakarta and son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, was sworn in as vice president.
Prabowo, who had turned 73 days earlier, took his oath on the Quran before lawmakers and visiting dignitaries. He and Gibran signed inauguration documents at the parliament building before the new president joined Widodo for a handover ceremony at Merdeka Palace. The transfer installed new leadership in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Large public celebrations accompanied the formal proceedings. Tens of thousands of supporters filled streets in the capital, where banners and billboards marked the inauguration. Wearing traditional blue Betawi cloth and a dark cap, Prabowo greeted people from the sunroof of a white vehicle as his motorcade moved slowly from parliament toward the presidential palace. Crowds chanted support for the Prabowo-Gibran ticket.
The ceremony also highlighted an important political realignment. Prabowo had run against Widodo in the presidential elections of 2014 and 2019 and disputed both defeats. Widodo later appointed him defense minister after winning a second term, creating an alliance between former rivals even though they came from different parties.
That partnership shaped the 2024 campaign. Prabowo presented himself as the heir to Widodo’s agenda and won a landslide victory in the February direct election with the outgoing president’s backing. His choice of Widodo’s son as running mate reinforced the promise of continuity and showed how closely their political interests had converged.
Prabowo pledged to maintain major Widodo-era programs, including construction of a costly new capital and restrictions on raw-material exports intended to encourage more processing and manufacturing within Indonesia. Those commitments gave voters and investors a broad indication that the change of president would not bring an abrupt reversal of economic strategy.
His inauguration nevertheless carried the weight of his earlier military career. Prabowo had faced accusations of human-rights abuses linked to the period of Indonesia’s military dictatorship. The supplied report described his arrival at the palace as the culmination of a long transformation in public position, from a controversial former general to an elected civilian leader.
With the ceremonies complete, the new administration inherited the task of converting its continuity platform into policy. Supporters gathered in Jakarta expressed hopes for stronger leadership, economic improvement and further national development. The composition of the ticket tied those expectations both to Prabowo’s authority and to the legacy of the president he replaced.
