My Take | The revenge of (rich and powerful) families of democracy

It has been widely observed that 2024 is packed full of elections. Seven of the world’s 10 most populous nations – Bangladesh, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico – are going or have already gone to the polls. In total, almost half of the world population will hold elections.

A democratic deficit or democracy’s triumph? Perhaps it’s worth noting that quantity is not the same as quality. For example, the re-election of Vladimir Putin next month in Russia seems like a foregone conclusion.

Also, what has been less remarked on is that in quite a few national elections, the family names and backgrounds of successful candidates or party leaders can explain a lot about their victories, rather than their domestic politics or personal merits.

What’s in a name? It seems in democracy as often in autocracy, having the right surname or family background means a lot, if not everything.

Prabowo Subianto, the ex-general and special forces commander, is set to become the next president of Indonesia. The man who has been implicated in some of the worst atrocities committed in his country’s recent history has successfully sold himself as a cuddly and cute grandaddy to a new generation of young voters, though not without some allegations of voter intimidation.

To understand his military-political career, there are two salient points: he married a daughter of the late Indonesian strongman Suharto, and he hails from a powerful banking family that holds tens of thousands of hectares of land for plantation, mining and industry.