15 Years Of Prabowo Losing The Election

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The 2024 election is still three years away. However, rumors about who will advance have spread now. One of the familiar names reportedly participating again in the 2024 election contestation is Prabowo Subianto. This is the umpteenth attempt, after defeats for 15 years -- 2004 to 2019. Let's look at Prabowo's record in the general election.

Secretary General of the Gerindra Party DPP Ahmad Muzani was the first to spread the discourse of his party bringing back Prabowo as a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. Muzani said there were still many people who wanted Prabowo. In fact, the numbers are massive.

"I say, 2024 Pak Prabowo, God willing, will advance in the presidential election. His progress is because of the massive demand from all of us, the people's expectations are high, development must continue, our ideals as a party have not been realized," said Muzani.

Currently, Prabowo Subianto serves as Chairman of the Gerindra Party and Minister of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia. If he really runs, this will be the third time for Prabowo to run as a presidential candidate after running twice and losing against Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

According to the latest survey results from Saiful Mujani Research and Consultant (SMRC), Prabowo Subianto's electability is still in the top position with 18.1 percent related to the 2024 presidential candidate. The second position is occupied by the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo with an electability rate of 15.8 percent, followed by the name of the Governor DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan with 11.1 percent.

Prabowo's journey in the presidential election

Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

As explained earlier, Prabowo is no stranger to election contestation. Prabowo has tasted the presidential race since 2004. At that time, the first presidential election in Indonesia's history, Prabowo wanted to run through the Golkar Party.

Prabowo participates in the convention of presidential candidates from the Golkar Party. But at that time Prabowo lost to Wiranto, who was then paired with Salahuddin Wahid. In the 2004 presidential election, the pair Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla were elected as President and Vice President.

Prabowo is again betting on the 2009 election. This time, Prabowo has his own vehicle, the Gerindra Party. Quoting Kompas, Prabowo initially wanted to run with PAN chairman Soetrisno Bachir. But both of them did not meet the support seat.

Finally, Prabowo formed a coalition with the PDI-P (PDIP), which promoted Megawati Soekarnoputri as a presidential candidate. Prabowo should be relieved to let go of his 'ideal' as a presidential candidate and become a vice presidential candidate.

But at that time, the 2009 presidential election was won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono, who won 60.80 percent of the national vote. The pair Megawati and Prabowo won 26.79 percent of the vote.

In the 2014 presidential election, Prabowo again competed. This time Prabowo managed to run as a presidential candidate. At that time, he was cooperating with the general chairman of PAN, Hatta Rajasa. Prabowo and Hatta Rajasa are supported by the Golkar Party, PKS, and PPP.

Hatta Rajasa-Prabowo and Jokowi-JK in the 2014 General Election (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

But again, Prabowo is still unlucky. At that time, Prabowo-Hatta lost to the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla pair who received 53.13 percent of the vote. At that time, Prabowo-Hatta gained 46.84 percent of the vote.

This failure did not hinder Prabowo's confidence in running for president again in 2019. At that time, Prabowo again faced Jokowi as the incumbent who took KH Ma'ruf Amin as a vice presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, Prabowo teamed up with the Deputy Chairperson of the Gerindra Party Board of Trustees, Sandiaga Uno. The Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno pair is carried by four parties, namely the Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party, PKS and PAN.

While the Jokowi-Amin pair is supported by the PDI-P, Golkar, PKB, PPP, Hanura, PKPI, Perindo, PSI, and the United Nations. But again Prabowo had to swallow the bitter pill.

He lost to Jokowi-Amin who won 55.50 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, Prabowo-Sandiaga won 44.50 percent of the vote.

Riots at Bawaslu

Jokowi appoints Prabowo as Minister of Defense (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The results of the 2019 presidential election were marked by riots. The riots started with a demonstration by supporters of Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno at the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) office, Sarinah, Central Jakarta.

They were disappointed with the results of the 2019 Presidential Election. There were riots between the masses and the police at several points around Sarinah, Tanah Abang, and Sabang. Citing CNN, the point of clash occurred along Jalan KH Hasyim Asyari and Jalan Sabang.

The demonstrators used stones, wood and other objects to throw at the police line. The police responded by firing tear gas as a result.

According to Komnas HAM, ten people died as a result of the May 2019 riots. Nine people died in Jakarta, while one person died in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

As a result of the riots, the police imposed an alert status until May 25, 2019. The riots did not change anything.

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