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Indonesia
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Despite protests, Indonesians satisfied with Prabowo but economy remains a challenge

A year from taking office, the president’s approval rating stands at 78 per cent, but Indonesians want him to deliver on his promised growth

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto waves at the Asean Summit in  Kuala Lumpur on October 26. Photo: Reuters
Reuters
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s public approval rating is steady at 78 per cent a year after he took office, a survey showed on Saturday, despite a challenging first year in office marked by deadly student protests.
Prabowo’s approval is little changed from 80.9 per cent in the previous poll, released in January.

He took office in October last year after sweeping a general election, but his government has had to deal with a number of economic and social challenges, including the protests against some of his policies.

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Only 20.8 per cent of respondents in the new survey expressed dissatisfaction with Prabowo, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, founder of independent polling organisation Indikator Politik Indonesia, told journalists.

President Prabowo Subianto inspects Indonesia’s first Airbus A400M transport aircraft at a military airbase in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA
President Prabowo Subianto inspects Indonesia’s first Airbus A400M transport aircraft at a military airbase in Jakarta on Monday. Photo: EPA

“Based on our national survey … the variable that makes the public most satisfied is eradicating corruption,” Muhtadi said, adding that Prabowo also received high marks for social assistance and his signature free-meals programme.

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Prabowo’s lowest approval was for the political situation, at 31 per cent in the survey, conducted between October 20 and 27 and involving 1,220 respondents. The highest was for security, at 56.5 per cent.

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