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       Why This Presidential Front-Runner Is Stirring Fears of the ‘Death of Democracy’

       Although he dons different personas, the strongman bona fides of Prabowo Subianto date back to when Indonesia was a dictatorship ruled by his former father-in-law.

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       Prabowo Subianto greeting supporters in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. A victory for him in the presidential election, critics warn, could erode the country’s hard-won democracy. Credit...Mast Irham/EPA, via Shutterstock

       By Sui-Lee Wee

       Reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia

       Jan. 21, 2024Updated 12:17 a.m. ET

       He hoped to succeed Indonesia’s longtime dictator. He ordered the kidnappings of pro-democracy activists. He was accused of atrocities during the ruthless military occupation of East Timor. He has said elections run counter to his country’s culture.

       Even so, Prabowo Subianto has spent the past two decades trying his hand at democratic politics, donning different personas in multiple attempts to become Indonesia’s leader.

       Now, a month before the next election, nearly every poll shows Mr. Prabowo, 72, leading in the first round of voting. His rise, with the help of a running mate who is the son of the popular departing president, Joko Widodo, has alarmed millions of Indonesians who still remember the brutal and kleptocratic rule of Suharto, Mr. Prabowo’s former boss and father-in-law.

       A victory for Mr. Prabowo, his critics warn, would revive a dark past.

       “What will happen is the death of democracy,” said Hendardi, the director of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace. Like many Indonesians, he goes by one name. “We have long been against Prabowo,” he added, “and with our limited power, we were still able to prevent him from moving forward. But now he has gained this support.”

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       A post shared by Prabowo Subianto (@prabowo)

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       Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region. More about Sui-Lee Wee

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