The 73-year-old was sworn in as the nation’s eighth president on Sunday after being plagued for decades by accusations of violating human rights.
This marks the conclusion of a period under previous leader Joko Widodo, also referred to as Jokowi in the local dialect, who oversaw ten years of infrastructure construction and economic expansion.
After two unsuccessful attempts to capture the presidency, Prabowo eventually fought his way to the top spot by defeating two opponents and garnering more than 58% of the vote in the February elections.
Prabowo was sworn in alongside Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was his running mate.
The British foreign minister was among the more than thirty leaders who attended the inauguration.
In contrast to Jokowi, who appointed 34 ministers and 30 vice-ministers, he appointed 48 ministers and 58 vice-ministers in his new cabinet. On Monday afternoon, they were formally sworn in.
According to some analysts, Prabowo’s cabinet composition—17 of the 48 ministers were reappointed from Jokowi’s cabinet—was a “political reward” to his predecessor, whose unspoken backing is credited with helping him win the election.
Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati are among those who have been reappointed.
According to public policy expert Lina Miftahul Jannah, “it appears that Prabowo wants to reimburse those who supported him politically rather than prioritizing institutional reforms,” she told Indonesian.
