Protests Follow Announcement of Indonesian Election Results

Supporters of the losing presidential candidate walk under a giant Indonesia national flag in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country’s capital under control after a number of people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month’s presidential election.
Supporters of the losing presidential candidate walk under a giant Indonesia national flag in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country's capital under control after a number of people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month's presidential election. Achmad Ibrahim / AP Photo
Supporters of the losing presidential candidate walk under a giant Indonesia national flag in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country’s capital under control after a number of people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month’s presidential election.
Supporters of the losing presidential candidate walk under a giant Indonesia national flag in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country's capital under control after a number of people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month's presidential election. Achmad Ibrahim / AP Photo

Protests Follow Announcement of Indonesian Election Results

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

The world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia, held its parliamentary and presidential elections on April 17. Protests in Jakarta followed the announcement of election results this Tuesday. Voters re-elected incumbent president Joko Widodo, angering supporters of his opponent and long-time rival Prabowo Subianto. Subianto, a former general, has been backed by some hard-line Islamists, while Widodo is known to be more moderate. Widodo did, however, choose Islamic religious scholar and chairman of Indonesia’s Ulema Council Ma’ruf Amin, who has spoken against gay rights and played a role in the prosecution of a Christian politician for blaspheming Islam, as his running mate. Indonesian police confirmed six deaths as a result of the protests, with hundreds of injuries. A police spokesman said 62 people had been arrested. Joining us to for analysis is Jeffrey Winters. Winters is a professor of comparative politics and political economy at Northwestern University and founder and director of Northwestern’s Equality Development and Globalization Studies program.