Indonesian presidential candidates Anies Baswedan , Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo with their running mates at a debate on Feb 4.
But his path to becoming governor was controversial. In the race for the post, he accepted the endorsement of hardline Islamist groups that played the religious card against his rival, Mr Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian who was later jailed for blasphemy. The pair have pledged to create 15 million jobs to reduce unemployment, including by building an entrepreneurial ecosystem to create start-ups. Another key proposal of theirs is to develop 40 cities equal to Jakarta to spur regional economic growth, by upgrading infrastructure in second-tier cities.
The 72-year-old is no stranger to politics and power, coming from an influential family. His father, Professor Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, was a notable economist and politician who held three different ministerial posts under the late presidents Sukarno and Suharto. The latter was also Mr Prabowo’s former father-in-law.
His pro-democracy activism against the authoritarian regime led by strongman Suharto started when he was studying law at Gadjah Mada University, with Mr Ganjar protesting against a major dam project. He was then an MP representing the country’s largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.