Former Indonesian general and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto intends to review infrastructure projects that the country has signed up to as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). His brother and campaign leader, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, explained that while there were some good projects under the initiative, there were also unnecessary ones. One such project is the US$4.5 billion high-speed railway currently being built to connect Jakarta and the city of Bandung.

Indonesia’s coming election has its heavy-metal-fan president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo - widely perceived as a moderate Muslim - in one corner and Prabowo Subianto, a former lieutenant general, in the other. This is the second time they will go head to head since 2014 when Prabowo held the support of the conservative Muslims in the country.

Indonesia’s presidential election was officially kicked-off with the two contenders - Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prabowo Subianto - releasing white doves and vowing a peaceful campaign period. Hopes are running high that the promise of peace that comes with this gesture continues during the months leading up to polling day in April next year. But if the 2014 election was anything to go by, then Indonesia will need to brace itself for a turbulent flight.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has picked Ma’ruf Amin, the head of the nation’s influential clerics’ council, as his running mate for next year’s election, setting the stage for a rerun of the 2014 race with former general Prabowo Subianto.Amin was chosen for his vast experience in religious and political affairs and the pair will file their nominations on Friday, Widodo, known as Jokowi, told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

For President Joko Widodo, the Indonesian economy is offering little cheer as he gears up to run for a second term.Growth is nowhere near the seven percent Widodo envisioned when he took office in 2014, and he has to once again contend with a currency rout and a widening current-account deficit.

As foreign funds continue to dump Indonesian stocks and bonds, President Joko Widodo is chasing dollars from tourism and exports to help contain a widening current-account deficit.Widodo, known as Jokowi, ordered ministers, officials and central bankers on Thursday to step up efforts to lure more foreign visitors into the pristine sand beaches dotting hundreds of islands across the archipelago.

Tomorrow, the world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia will head to the polls. The regional elections – locally known as the Pemilihan Kepala Daerah or Pilkada for short – will take place in 171 regions throughout the country. Over 152 million voters across Indonesia will elect their governors, regents and mayors, for 17 provinces, 115 regencies and 39 cities.

Indonesia’s most populous province is set to go to the polls in what’s shaping up as a test of President Joko Widodo’s popularity and a potential springboard for his rivals ahead of next year’s presidential election.More than 30 million people are expected to vote in West Java’s gubernatorial election Wednesday in a contest between two former generals, the sitting deputy governor and the provincial capital’s popular mayor.

At 17 years, Indonesia’s voting age is the lowest in the Southeast Asian region and is one of the lowest in the world. However, 25-year-old Agnes Anya, a resident of Indonesia’s bustling capital, Jakarta, believes that most youths in her country feel disengaged from Indonesian politics and are only recently getting interested because they view it as being trendy.“Most politicians or political essential roles are held by the older generation.

Located on the greater New Guinea Island, West Papua is neighbour to the sovereign state of Papua New Guinea. Formerly known as Irian Jaya, it was annexed by Indonesia in 1963, a move formalised six years later with a widely discredited vote known as the Act of Free Choice, which was supervised by the United Nations (UN). Only 1,063 people voted, most of whom were selected by the military and compelled to vote in favour of Indonesian annexation.