Indonesia’s top security minister resigns from Cabinet before this month's election
FOX NewsJAN 2024
Indonesia: Outgoing Pres. Accused of Interfering for Candidate
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The Spin
Narrative A
Indonesia's overall corruption level has risen since Widodo took office. A blatant example of this was the outgoing president's decision to dissolve the Corruption Eradication Commission, which was developed during the post-dictatorship anti-corruption movement in 2004. Widodo has intentionally freed corrupt government officials from the eyes of the law, so it makes sense that he'd interfere in an election, too.
Narrative B
If the endorsement of President Widodo was supposed to be an indictment on Prabowo's character, the opinion polls would beg to differ. The reason Prabowo is now the frontrunner in this race is because of his connection to Widodo, whose popularity is also quite strong. Widodo and his preferred candidate are also polling well with younger voters — a demographic a duly elected leader usually needs.