Prabowo Subianto

Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo (EYD: Prabowo Subianto Joyohadikusumo, born 17 October 1951) is an Indonesian politician, businessman and retired honorary army general who is the president-elect of Indonesia and current Minister of Defense. Prabowo will be Indonesia's third president who had military background after Suharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In 1998, he was discharged from the military and subsequently banned from entering the United States for allegedly committing human rights abuses.

Prabowo Subianto graduated from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1970 and mostly served in the Special Forces (Kopassus) until he was appointed to lead the Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) in 1998. He has been described as a right-wing nationalist.

In early 2008, Prabowo's inner circle established the Gerindra Party. In the 2009 presidential election, he ran unsuccessfully for the vice presidency as Megawati Sukarnoputri's running mate. He contested the 2014 presidential election and was defeated by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, which he initially disputed. He made another unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2019 with Sandiaga Uno as his running mate and with the support of Gerindra, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Democratic Party and Berkarya Party. His refusal to accept the result saw his followers stage protests that sparked deadly riots in Jakarta. However, after a heated contest, Prabowo Subianto joined the cabinet as Minister of Defense for the 2019 to 2024 period.

On 10 October 2021, Gerindra announced Prabowo as their candidate in the 2024 Indonesian presidential election. On 12 August 2022, Prabowo Subianto announced that he accepted Gerindra's nomination. Prabowo declared victory in the election on 14 February, as early unofficial polling showed him with a lead in the first round of voting. On 20 March, the General Election Commission certified the results and declared him as the president-elect of Indonesia. The Constitutional Court confirmed his status on 22 April 2024. Joko Widodo's administration is currently preparing for the transitional process to Prabowo's future administration.

Early life and family
Prabowo's father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo (1917–2001), was originally from Gombong, Kebumen, Central Java. He was an economist who served as former President Sukarno's minister for the economy and Suharto's minister for research and technology. Sumitro named Prabowo after his own younger brother who was killed in an incident against Japanese forces in Lengkong, Tangerang during the Indonesian National Revolution. Prabowo's mother, Dora Marie Sigar (1921–2008), was a Protestant Christian of Minahasan descent, who originated from the Sigar-Maengkom family in Langowan, North Sulawesi. They were married in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Prabowo Subianto has two older sisters, Bianti Djiwandono, who was born in 1948, and Maryani Djojohadikusumo, who was born in 1950. His only brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, was born in 1954. Prabowo's eldest sister, Bianti, is married to J. Soedradjad Djiwandono, Governor of Bank Indonesia from 1993 until 1998, while her older sister, Maryani, married French entrepreneur Didier Lemaistre, who died in 2018. Prabowo's brother Hashim is one of the richest businessmen in Indonesia with assets across the globe from Indonesia to Europe and North America. Due to his father's political exile borne from differences with Sukarno in the 1960s in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, Prabowo and his siblings have a cosmopolitan background. During his high school years, he studied at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Between 1966 and 1968, the family lived in London, where Prabowo attended and graduated from the American School. Sumitro subsequently encouraged his son to attend a military academy. One of Prabowo's role models was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and according to peers and observers, Prabowo was talented with a passion for stratagems and had an appetite for political power.

Sumitro himself came from an elite background. His father, Margono Djojohadikusumo, was the founder of the country's first state bank Bank Negara Indonesia, the first leader of Indonesia's provisional Supreme Advisory Council, and a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence that drafted the steps for Indonesia's independence. With the pedigrees of his father and grandfather, Prabowo is the third generation of a family that has served high positions in Indonesia since its establishment in 1945.

Prabowo and Titiek have a son, Didit Hediprasetyo, who lived in Boston before settling in Paris to pursue a career in fashion design. While his son has shown little interest in politics, Prabowo Subianto is uncle to Gerindra politicians Budi Djiwandono, Aryo Djojohadikusumo and Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo who together continue the Djojohadikusumo political lineage.

Military academy and service
Prabowo Subianto enrolled in the Indonesian Military Academy in Magelang in 1970. He graduated in 1974 with others who would gain senior leadership positions such as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In 1976, Prabowo Subianto served in the Indonesian National Army Special Force Kopassus and was assigned as the commander of Group 1 Komando Pasukan Sandhi Yudha (Kopassandha), which was one of the Indonesian Army's Nanggala commando units in East Timor, the former Portuguese territory that Indonesia had invaded the previous year. Prabowo, then 26 years old, was the youngest Nanggala commander. Prabowo led the mission to capture the vice president of Fretilin, who was the first Prime Minister of East Timor, Nicolau dos Reis Lobato. Guiding Prabowo Subianto was Antonio Lobato – Nicolau's younger brother. On 31 December 1978, Prabowo's company found and fatally shot Nicolau in the stomach as he was being escorted in Maubisse, fifty kilometres south of Dili.

It was claimed, in 1983 Prabowo commanded the special forces responsible for the Kraras massacres in East Timor. The survivors of these massacres were locked up in a concentration camp guarded by Prabowo's men, where many died of starvation and ill-treatment. Prabowo claimed he was nowhere near the Viqueque district when the massacre happened, and neither the UN nor the government of Timor Leste have ever proffered charges of human rights violations against him. Jose Manuel Tesoro writing for Asiaweek in 2000, contacted four separate non-governmental organizations including TAPOL in London; Solidamor in Jakarta; the HAK Foundation, headquartered in Dili; and the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) in New York, and they could not provide any eyewitness reports, transcripts of intercepted communications, leaked papers or anything that could substantiate Prabowo's involvement.

In 1985 Prabowo Subianto attended the Advanced Infantry Officers Course at Fort Benning, in the United States for commando training. In the early 1990s, as the commander of Kopassus Group 3, the now Major General Prabowo attempted to crush the East Timorese independence movement by using irregular troops (hooded "ninja" gangs dressed in black and operating at night) and, in main towns and villages, militias trained and directed by Kopassus commanders. Human rights abuses rose. The Army's 1997 campaign was called Operation Eradicate.

In 1996, Prabowo Subianto led the Mapenduma Operation in the mountainous terrain of Papua. The goal of the operation was the release of 11 scientific researchers, who had been taken hostage by the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The researchers were five Indonesians, four Britons, one Dutchman and his pregnant German wife. Two of the Indonesian male hostages were killed shortly before the rescue operation. The mission involved covert support from British Military Attache and SAS veteran Colonel Ivor Helberg. Following the hostage transfer, Kopassus under Prabowo Subianto began a reprisal campaign against villages perceived to support OPM, in one incident at Geselema village attacking the villagers with a military helicopter disguised as a Red Cross helicopter.

On 20 March 1998, Prabowo Subianto was appointed head of the 27,000-strong Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), that Suharto had commanded in 1965.

Role in the fall of Suharto
Less than three months after his appointment as head of Kostrad, on the first day of the May 1998 riots, Prabowo Subianto urged the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, Wiranto, to let him bring his Strategic Reserve units from outside Jakarta into the city to help restore order. Hundreds of men trained by Kopassus (Prabowo's former command) were flown from Dili to Yogyakarta in chartered planes, and then on to Jakarta by train. Prabowo Subianto publicly urged Indonesians to join him to fight "traitors to the nation". On the morning of 14 May, Kopassus troops escorted young thugs from Lampung in southern Sumatera into the capital. Thus Prabowo Subianto was accused of using his contacts in his former command to import and create trouble, while Wiranto had declined to give Prabowo's current command, Kostrad, permission to quell the existing trouble, in line with classic Javanese tactic to stir chaos to discredit a rival and/or seize power.

Troops under Prabowo's command kidnapped and tortured at least nine democracy activists in the months before the May 1998 riots. In one testimony from Andi Arief, a former detainee told of being tortured for days in an unidentified location, allegedly a military camp where most of their time was spent blindfolded, while being forced to answer repeated questions, mainly concerning their political activities. The abuse included being punched, terrorised physically and mentally, and given electric shocks. Later, in 2009, two of the nine men were candidates for Gerindra, Prabowo's political party, and another served as his media adviser. By 2024, six out of the nine kidnapped (including Arief) have either worked for Prabowo, or backed him for the presidency. Prabowo Subianto was also suspected of organising the kidnappings of another 13 activists (all of whom remain "missing") between February 1997 and May 1998.

Later investigations into the May riots revealed that violence in Jakarta was the result of an internal struggle within the military elite to become Suharto's successor. Many believed Prabowo Subianto, as Strategic Reserve commander, sought to become his father-in-law's successor and coveted the commander of the Armed Forces position held by General Wiranto, who was favoured to succeed Suharto. Together with Operations Commander for Greater Jakarta (Panglima Komando Operasi Jakarta Raya, Pangkoops Jaya) Major General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Prabowo Subianto aimed to terrorise opponents of the government and to show that Wiranto was "an incompetent commander who could not control disorder". During August and September, the fact-finding team interviewed Prabowo Subianto, Sjafrie, and other military commanders regarding their movements during the Jakarta riots. Prabowo Subianto asserted that he was unsure of the precise movements of military forces in the capital and deferred to Sjafrie. In its final report, the fact-finding team suspected that, on the night of 14 May, Prabowo Subianto met with several Armed Forces and prominent civilian figures at the Kostrad headquarters to discuss organization of the violence. However, this was later refuted by several people who attended the meeting, including prominent human rights lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution and Joint Fact-Finding Team member Bambang Widjojanto. Further testimonies by Prabowo Subianto in the years following the investigation contradicted the team's report and led to scepticism of the team's allegations.

Dismissal from the military
On 21 May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation from the presidency and Vice President B. J. Habibie took over as president. On the afternoon following Habibie's inauguration as president, Prabowo Subianto demanded of Habibie that he be put in charge of the Army in place of Wiranto. However, Habibie and Wiranto actually dismissed Prabowo from his position as Kostrad Commander, and the following day, announced Wiranto's appointment as Minister of Defense and Security as well as Commander of the Indonesian National Army, which resulted in Prabowo's dismissal. There are two versions of how this happened: the first version states that a furious Prabowo Subianto went to the Presidential Palace carrying a gun and a truck with his Kostrad troops. Because he was prevented from entering Habibie's office, he went to Suharto, who instead reprimanded him. Meanwhile, another version states that Prabowo was dismissed from his post because he was suspected of carrying out a coup against Habibie. It is said that after Habibie's inauguration, Wiranto reported that there was movement from Kostrad troops appearing around Habibie's residence. Habibie then ordered Prabowo to be dismissed from his post just before sunset in that day. However, Prabowo was later visited by Wiranto at his home on the weekend of 23 or 24 May and then reassigned to a non-combat role at the Armed Forces Command and General Staff College in Bandung.

Following an ABRI investigation, in August 1998, the Dewan Kehormatan Perwira (Officers Council of Honor) found Prabowo guilty of "misinterpreting orders" in the kidnapping of nine anti-Suharto activists in 1998. Prabowo Subianto acknowledged responsibility for the kidnapping of the nine activists, and was discharged honorably from military service in November. He and Wiranto denied that the discharge was a result of disciplinary action. Later he went into voluntary exile in Jordan where he knew that country's new young King Abdullah as a fellow commander of special forces. In an interview with Asiaweek magazine in 2000, Prabowo Subianto said "I never threatened Habibie. I was not behind the riots. That is a great lie. I never betrayed Suharto. I never betrayed Habibie. I never betrayed my country. There was a certain group that wanted to make me a scapegoat, maybe to hide their involvement." Rights groups have long questioned Prabowo's eligibility to run for president, noting that he was discharged from the Army in August 1998 for "misinterpreting orders" in the abduction of the democracy activists. While that was the military's official statement, observers have long believed that it was a coup conspiracy that saw Prabowo, then the commander of the Army Strategic Reserves, given his marching orders.

As a 2014 presidential candidate, Prabowo's past came under renewed scrutiny, with many organizations calling for him to step down. On 19 April, he was criticized by a poet made by Fahmi Habcyi which linked him to the disappearance of Widji Thukul and urged him to return Thukul as his wife is devastated hoping for her husband to return. A coalition, which consisted of Imparsial, Kontras, the Setara Institute, and the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), combined under the Civil Society Coalition Against Forgetting, visited the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta on 7 May 2014 to urge the commission to re-investigate Prabowo Subianto. A 27 June 2014 report indicated that an investigative journalist, Allan Nairn, had been threatened with arrest "for revealing the former general's role in human rights abuses."

During the 2024 presidential debate on 12 December 2023, Prabowo admitted implicitly that he had Budiman Sudjatmiko kidnapped, a violation of human rights, later Sudjatmiko had become one of his spokesperson. Prior to the debate, Prabowo also admitted to Sudjatmiko, that he had released all activists he had kidnapped but didn't know of their later fates after released. Explaining his decision, Budiman claimed people changed after 25 years, both him and Prabowo "moved to the middle." Maria Catarina Sumarsih, whose son was shot dead during the Semanggi shootings on 13 November 1998, said that Prabowo was responsible for the tragedy.

Business career
After being discharged from the military, Prabowo Subianto joined his brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo's business. He purchased Kiani Kertas, a paper pulp and plantation company based in Mangkajang, East Kalimantan. Prior to Prabowo's purchase, Kiani was owned by Bob Hasan, a businessman close to former President Suharto. Today, Prabowo's Nusantara Group controls 27 companies in Indonesia and abroad. Prabowo's companies include Nusantara Energy (oil and natural gas, coal), Tidar Kerinci Agung (palm oil plantations) and Jaladri Nusantara (fishery industry).

Prabowo Subianto rebranded Kiani Kertas to Kertas Nusantara. The company was established in 1990 and is part of the Nusantara Energy. It controls an area of 3,400 hectares used for paper mills, employee housing, private schools, and various company facilities. Kiani has been awarded ISO 900–2005 status as one of the highest quality management companies. It is reported that Kiani Kertas has been experiencing financial difficulties, and in early 2014, workers took to the streets to demand their wages which had not been paid in five months.

Prabowo Subianto was the wealthiest presidential candidate in the 2009 election, with assets of Rp 1.5 trillion (about US$150 million) and US$7.5 million.

In 2007, PT Ridlatama, whose majority stakeholder was British-based Churchill PLC, conducted a geo-survey of eastern Kalimantan for coal. Two months after the survey yielded positive results, East Kutai officials granted mining licenses to Nusantara Energy (a subsidiary of the Nusantara Group, a conglomerate owned by Prabowo's family) to operate in the area surveyed by Ridlatama. In 2010, Ridlatama's license was revoked, effectively completing Nusantara's take over of Churchill's operations. Churchill appealed to the Supreme Court of Indonesia but lost the case. In 2012, Churchill filed a case against the government of Indonesia at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, demanding $2 billion in compensation. Indonesia argued that ICSID had no authority to arbitrate. In 2014 ICSID ruled that it had the authority and the case is still ongoing.

In 2014, the regent of East Kutai, Isran Noor, publicly endorsed Prabowo Subianto as a presidential candidate. He also considered pressing criminal charges against Churchill, alleging that Churchill forged its license.

Farmers' rights (HKTI)
The Indonesian Farmers' Association (HKTI) was established in 1973 to advocate for the farmers' rights. Prabowo Subianto was elected President of HKTI in 5 December 2004, and he was reappointed in 2010 for a second term.

Market traders (APPSI)
The Indonesian Traditional Market Traders Association (APPSI) is a non-profit organization advocating for the welfare of traders in Indonesia's traditional markets. Prabowo was elected as president of APPSI in 2008. As a chairman of the organization, Prabowo often calls for the government to limit hypermarkets by regulating their distances so as not to harm small traders. "So far, traditional market traders have always been ignored, so that when a modern market was established, the capital owners of the market traders had to be willing to be disbanded due to demolition," said Prabowo.

Pencak silat (IPSI)
Pencak silat is one of Indonesia's traditional martial arts. The Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) oversees the regulation of the sport in Indonesia, develops athletes, and organises tournaments. Prabowo was elected as president of IPSI in 2004 and was re-elected in 2012 for a third consecutive term.

At the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta, the pencak silat sport managed to win the overall championship by winning 9 of the 18 events competed. IPSI's achievements under Prabowo's chairmanship were very impressive at the 2018 Asian Games, where pencak silat succeeded in contributing 14 of the 31 gold medals won by the Indonesian contingent. Prabowo Subianto is also the President of the International Pencak Silat Federation (IPSF).

Educational activism
Prabowo is known to like sending Indonesian talents abroad and also offering high positions to those who have graduated. One example is Sudaryono, his secretary, an alumnus of SMA Taruna Nusantara who went to Japan to study at the expense of the Ministry of Defense, but was rejected when he applied to join the Indonesian Navy. He invited Sudaryono to join and get an important position in the inner circle. Apart from that, he also succeeded in persuading Dirgayuza, who almost started his career in Australia, to join Gerindra.

Migrant workers
The Indonesian Advocacy Service for Justice and Peace (Padma) in the East Nusa Tenggara region assessed that Prabowo played a major role in the release of Wilfrida Soik from the death penalty at the Kota Bahru Court, Kelantan, Malaysia. Prabowo appointed Malaysian lawyer Tan Sri Mohammad Syafei to defend Wilfrida Soik. Wilfrida is a worker from East Nusa Tenggara who was sent illegally. Wilfrida was sentenced to death for killing her employer, Yeap Seok Pen, on December 7 2010.

Early political career
Using his connections to President Suharto, Prabowo Subianto and his brother worked to silence journalistic and political critics in the 1990s. Hashim unsuccessfully pressured Goenawan Mohamad to sell his outspoken and banned Tempo magazine to him. As a lieutenant colonel, Prabowo Subianto invited Gus Dur to his battalion headquarters in 1992 and warned him to stick to religion and to stay out of politics, or face unspecified actions if he continued to oppose the president. He later warned the intellectual Nurcholish Madjid (Cak Nur) to resign from the KIPP, the election monitoring unit set up by Goenawan Mohamad, which armed forces commander Feisal Tanjung had denounced as "obviously unconstitutional".

In 2004, Prabowo Subianto was one of five contenders vying to become Golkar party's presidential candidate. He received the lowest number of votes, just 39, and was eliminated in the first round. The second round of voting was won by Wiranto. After finishing last in the party convention, Prabowo served as a member of the Golkar Advisory Council until his resignation on 12 July 2008.

Gerindra Party
In February 2008, Prabowo's inner circle, including Fadli Zon, Muchdi Purwopranjono, and Prabowo's younger brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo, along with a few others established the Gerindra Party. Prabowo served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Central Leadership Council (DPP). He was later appointed general chairman of the party after the death of the party's previous chairman Suhardi in 2014.

2009 general election
In May 2009, Gerindra nominated Prabowo Subianto for the presidency in the 2009 elections. However, having won 26 out of 560 seats in the Indonesian parliament, the party did not have the required numbers, and Prabowo Subianto ran as a vice presidential candidate to Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno. Prabowo and Megawati signed the Batu Tulis Agreement, which stated that:


 * 1) PDI-P and Gerindra nominated Megawati as presidential candidate and Prabowo as vice presidential candidate in the 2009 elections.
 * 2) If elected, Prabowo can control Indonesia's economic programs and policies which are "based on the principles of standing on one's own feet, being sovereign in the political field, and having a national personality in the cultural field within the framework of a presidential system"
 * 3) Prabowo can determine who will be Minister of Forestry, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Finance, Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Minister of Industry, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Minister of Law and Human Rights, and Minister of Defense.
 * 4) The government that is formed will support the PDI-P's people's program and the Gerindra's eight action programs for the prosperity of the people
 * 5) Funding for the 2009 elections will be covered 50% by Megawati and 50% by Prabowo.
 * 6) Megawati shall back Prabowo as 2014 presidential election candidate.

The pair, referred to colloquially by the Indonesian media as Mega–Pro, earned 27% of the vote and lost to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate, economist Boediono. The results of the KPU's manual calculation, which were announced on 25 July 2009, were not much different from the results of the quick count. Megawati and Prabowo were absent at the announcement of the official tally even though Law No. 42 of 2008 concerning Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections mandated each pair of candidates to be present in determining the official results of the presidential election.

2014 general election
In November 2011, Prabowo Subianto announced his intention to run in the 2014 presidential election. Surveys published by the Center for Policy Studies and Strategic Development (Puskaptis) and by the Indonesian Survey Institute published on 23 February 2012 gave him the lead – but observers and activists cast doubt on the polls.

In March 2012, Gerindra named Prabowo Subianto its 2014 presidential candidate. The party's slogan was then changed to Gerindra Menang Prabowo Presiden (Gerindra Wins, Prabowo Becomes President). Prabowo Subianto said he would run an investment-friendly administration if he won and that Indonesia needed more energy exploration. Furthermore, he said he had been in close contact with labour unions and believed rising worker discontent could be managed with a wise national budget. He promised to use military-style efficiency to push through chronically delayed infrastructure projects, as well as to create jobs in the archipelago's backwaters by improving agricultural productivity. Another pillar to Prabowo's platform was that he was solidly secular, and his party planned to protect the rights of minority religious groups in the Muslim-majority country.

According to numerous quick counts after the 9 April legislative election, Gerinda came in third place, positioning Prabowo Subianto as one of two leading presidential candidates for the election to be held 9 July, the other being Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo. On Tuesday, 20 May 2014, Golkar, along with the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the Crescent Star Party (PBB), officially endorsed Prabowo to run for the 2014 presidential election; the coalition collected 48.9% of votes and 52.1 seats in the parliament. The day before, Prabowo had picked former Coordinating Minister for Economics Hatta Rajasa as his vice-presidential running mate.

On 22 July 2014, the day that the KPU was due to announce its official tally, Prabowo Subianto withdrew from the race after having insisted on his victory since the initial quick counts were released, although the majority showed Jokowi ahead. He attributed this withdrawal to Indonesia "failing in its duty to democracy" because of "massive cheating that is structured and systematic", and stated that he and Hatta "exercise our constitutional right to reject the presidential election and declare it unconstitutional". His speech, aired live, implied he would challenge the results in the Constitutional Court. Later reports indicated confusion over whether Prabowo Subianto had resigned from the election or simply rejected the count.

According to Douglas Ramage of the Jakarta-based Bower's Asia Group, this was the first time since reformasi began in 1998 that the legitimacy of an election was questioned; he declared the country was entering "uncharted territory". The legality of a Prabowo Subiantoro challenge is questionable, as – if he withdrew – he is no longer considered a presidential candidate. If he can make the challenge, according to The Jakarta Post, the gap between the two is sufficient to make such a challenge difficult. Under the presidential election law, Prabowo could face up to six years in prison and a 100 billion rupiah ($10 million) fine for withdrawing. Later that evening, Joko Widodo was officially announced as president and began to receive congratulations from world leaders.

Following the announcement, the value of the Indonesian rupiah dropped by 0.3%, and the JSX Composite fell by 0.9%. Observers denied Prabowo's allegations of cheating, finding that the elections were "generally fair and free"; Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonesia stated that there was "no sign of significant fraud", and that Prabowo's withdrawal simply reflected "the real attitudes of the elite, who are not yet ready to accept losing". On 21 August 2014, the Indonesian Constitutional Court rejected his claim of fraud, confirming his election loss.

2019 general election
On 12 April 2018, Prabowo Subianto announced he would contest the 2019 presidential election if he could obtain sufficient support from other political parties. Indonesian media had speculated on whether Prabowo Subianto would become a presidential candidate or a "king-maker" giving his support to another candidate. Prabowo's brother Hashim in March 2018 said health and logistical factors had to be considered before the party announces a presidential candidate.

In April 2018, John McBeth reported Maritime Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan had held a series of meetings with Prabowo Subianto, culminating in the proposal of a joint Jokowi-Prabowo ticket for the 2019 election. Luhut reportedly lost his enthusiasm after Prabowo allegedly said he would want to be in charge of the military and seven seats in any new cabinet. Fadli Zon denied Luhut and Prabowo had discussed politics, claiming they merely spoke about Europe's move to limit imports of Indonesian palm oil. Gerindra official Andre Rosiade also dismissed the report as a hoax.

On 10 August 2018, Prabowo Subianto registered at the KPU office for the 2019 presidential election with Sandiaga Uno as his running mate and with the support of Gerindra, PKS, PAN, the Democratic Party and Berkarya Party. The Democratic Party had wanted Prabowo Subianto to choose Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as his running mate. Following the election, 'quick counts' conducted at polling stations by independent institutions authorised by the government indicated Jokowi had won by a margin of about 10%, but Prabowo Subianto claimed victory, insisting a real count by his side showed he received 62% of the vote. His unsubstantiated claims of widespread cheating prompted his supporters to stage protests in Jakarta, resulting in riots that left eight people dead and 737 injured. The Constitutional Court in June 2019 unanimously rejected Prabowo's appeal against the election result.

On 14 July 2019, Prabowo finally conceded to Jokowi in a train ride at Jakarta MRT, congratulated Jokowi and apologized for criticizing him during the campaign trail much to the criticism of his upset supporters who expressed that Prabowo should remain as part of the opposition. His own party Gerindra eventually joined Jokowi's Onward Indonesia Coalition on 21 October 2019 with Prabowo himself appointed Minister of Defense on 23 October 2019, therefore joining Jokowi's cabinet.

2024 general election
On 7 January 2023, Prabowo Subianto launched his third presidential campaign for the 2024 presidential election. He is running as president, together with Gibran Rakabuming Raka (the eldest son of Joko Widodo, the current President of Indonesia), as his vice presidential candidate. Both he and Gibran registered at the KPU office on 25 October 2023 with the support of Gerindra, Golkar, PAN, PBB, the Democratic Party, Gelora Party, Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) and Garuda Party.

In November 2023, Prabowo Subianto called for "rebalancing" where, in the past decades, Indonesia looked to the West; now they should learn from the East like China, India, Japan and South Korea. Prabowo entertained the idea of Indonesia joining BRICS if it is advantageous for Indonesia's economy, citing BRICS' nature as an economic bloc, not a geopolitical one.

On 14 February 2024, in an unofficial report, Prabowo succeeded in leading three voting lines by getting 58% of the vote. Prabowo went on to win the quick count conducted by all surveys and called for unity as he pledged to be president for all Indonesians and will form a government that will be led by "the best sons and daughters of Indonesia". Despite this, he also told his supporters to calmly but cautiously wait for the official results from KPU.

Appointment
On 23 October 2019, Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as Indonesia's Minister of Defense by president Joko Widodo. He was aided by Sakti Wahyu Trenggono as Deputy Minister of Defense. According to Jokowi, Prabowo got the job because "Indeed, he has a lot of experience there".

Military
Shortly after his inauguration, Prabowo Subianto began advocating for a "total people's war" doctrine for Indonesia's national defense. In realization to this, he formed the Reserve Component on 7 October 2021 and appointed TV presenter Deddy Corbuzier as the reserve component ambassador to boost recruitment.

Considering that some of the TNI's equipment are old, Prabowo made efforts to continue to modernize military capabilities. He believed that long term planning with the assumption that the defense budget is locked at 0.8% of Indonesia's GDP will allow Indonesia to purchase the most advanced weapons and also build a domestic defense industry. The plan, which emerged to the public not long after the tragedy of the sinking of the KRI Nanggala (402) submarine, became a hot debate because the proposed figure reached Rp 1,700 trillion, or Rp 68 trillion per year.



Prabowo used the certainty of the defense budget to purchase the main equipment for advanced weapons that the TNI had never had. He is planning to massively expand Indonesia's domestic ability to manufacture ammunition, as Indonesia's capacity to manufacture is only 450 million rounds of ammunition per year, despite a demand for one billion rounds of ammunition annually. For the Indonesian Air Force, Prabowo is looking to strengthen Indonesia's military by acquiring newer fighter aircraft such as General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons and Dassault Rafales from the US and France while in the same time buying new transport aircraft such as Airbus A400M Atlas and newer Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. For the Indonesian Navy, Prabowo signed contracts for newer surface combatants such as Arrowhead 140 and FREMM while exploring possible local production on the Scorpene class submarines under PAL Indonesia. He also ordered 500 Pindad Maung light utility vehicles on 2020.

He also led renegotiation attempts regarding on the payment of the KAI KF-21 Boramae fighter program after his predecessor, Ryamizard Ryacudu stalled the payment of Indonesia's shares in the program. He later attended the launch of the aircraft prototype together with South Korean President Moon Jae-in representing Indonesia.

On 20 April 2022, together with Minister of State Owned Enterprise Erick Thohir, Prabowo strengthened the Indonesian defence industry by consolidating PT Len, Pindad, PAL Indonesia, Indonesian Aerospace and PT Dahana into a single holding, Defend ID.

Food estate program
On 2020, Prabowo was appointed by Jokowi to spearhead the national food estate program. Jokowi's reasoning for Prabowo's appointment was that as Minister of Defense, Prabowo also plays important role on carrying out strategic projects such as food storage. The development of food barns in Central Kalimantan began in mid-2020, utilizing existing rice fields covering an area of around 30,000 hectares, with 10,000 hectares located in Pulang Pisau Regency and 20,000 hectares in Kapuas Regency. In 2021, this project will be expanded to 44,135 hectares. Although Prabowo was selected as the project leader, he emphasize that the Ministry of Defense will only play a supporting role in the food estate work as the Minister of Agriculture will play the leading role, indicating that cross-sector collaboration is the key to the success of this project. This reflects the synergy between the agricultural and defense sectors in an effort to achieve sustainability and national food security.

Foreign policy
In his first 100 days as Minister of Defense, Prabowo visited 8 countries to meet the Ministers of Defense of Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, China, Japan, the Philippines and France to strengthen military relations.

Prabowo also made efforts to help state owned defense enterprises to export their products overseas. He succeeded in helping Indonesian Aerospace export CN-235 aircraft to Senegal and export NC-212i aircraft to Thailand, as well as helping PAL Indonesia export landing platform dock-type warships to the Philippine Navy.

South China Sea
Following an incident in late 2019 where Chinese vessels violated the Indonesian EEZ off the Natuna Islands, Prabowo Subianto called for a cautious response, referring to China as a "friendly nation". He also ordered the deployment of additional navy vessels in the region in response to the incident. Despite the controversy of his inaction in Natuna Island, a poll by Indo Barometer on early January shows that Prabowo Subianto is the most popular minister in Jokowi's cabinet.

When asked about the situation on the South China Sea in a session at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on 14 June 2022, Prabowo answered that Indonesia respects the interest of all countries that are involved in the region. He then quoted Nelson Mandela that "your enemies must not be our enemies too". In reaction to the formation of AUKUS and Australian plans to acquire nuclear submarines, Prabowo thinks that the alliance is made on basis of defense and it was beneath the sovereign rights of Australia, UK and USA.

US Department of Defense said both Secretary Lloyd Austin and Minister Prabowo viewed China's aggression in the South China Sea as inconsistent to international law. This statement was then refuted by Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin as a lie, claiming Prabowo never said that when Chinese embassy contacted the press office of the Ministry of Defense. Prabowo himself later refuted the American statement, stating there was no joint statement nor a press conference regarding to this and states that Indonesia is in good terms with China, United States and Russia and respects their interests, insisting Indonesia's non-aligned stances.

During the 3rd presidential debate of the 2024 elections, Prabowo argued that the situation in the region underlines the needs of a strong military. He states that the military needs more patrol platform and satellites to defend the nation from outside threats.

United States
In October 2020, Prabowo Subianto visited the United States despite his previous ban from entering the country, in his capacity as Minister of Defense after being invited by his US counterpart Mark Esper and a visa was issued for him. Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, had previously called for the Trump administration to cancel the visit. From his frequent foreign visit overtures such as in the United States, Prabowo succeeded in convincing the United States Congress to approve the sale of the advanced F-15EX Eagle II supersonic fighter aircraft to Indonesia.

Russo-Ukrainian War
On 3 June 2023, Prabowo Subianto proposed a multi-point peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine at IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. His proposal includes the following.

Prabowo's proposal was dismissed outright by Ukrainian Defense Oleksii Reznikov, stating that the proposal was "a Russian plan, not an Indonesian plan". This proposal was also criticized by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, saying that there must be a "just peace" not "peace of surrender". It was also criticized by PDI-P as Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said Indonesia does not need a leader who gives advice that deviates from the principle of "free and active" diplomacy. However, his plan was well received by China, with former Chinese ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai expressing appreciation for Prabowo's efforts while criticizing the West for mismanaging their own security situation. Prabowo was later called by Jokowi for clarifications on the peace plan as Indonesia had officially condemned Russia for the invasion. Jokowi then clarified that Prabowo's peace plan as "okay" because it was just a suggestion in an open dialogue and did not officially reflect Indonesia's stance.
 * 1) Immediate cessation of hostilities through cease-fire
 * 2) Establishment of demilitarized zones by withdrawing 15 kilometers from their forward positions
 * 3) UN referendums on disputed territories

On 2 June 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Prabowo on the sidelines of IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and invited him to attend the June 2024 Ukraine peace summit at Geneva, hoping for his attendance. In response to this invitation, Prabowo said he can't confirm his presence to the June summit and he had to discuss with President Jokowi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto on Indonesia's stances in attending the summit. Prabowo told Zelenskyy that "Many countries feel that in a peace summit all elements must be present, especially Russia". Prabowo offered Indonesia's solution to Zelenskyy which he seemed not to accept Indonesia's proposal on ceasefire and Prabowo is keen to continue finding a solution. Prabowo also offered Zelenskyy Indonesia's good service in any avenues to find solutions for peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Gaza-Israel Conflict
During the Israel-Hamas Conflict in 2023, Prabowo Subianto called out his disappointment with the Western countries who seemed silent when they saw civilians and children becoming victims of war and blasted the west for a perceived double standards on human rights. He has donated Rp. 5 billion of his personal wealth to the Palestinian people and joined President Jokowi, Secretary of State Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Ambassador to Indonesia from Palestine Zuhair Al Shun in sending off 51.5 tonnes of aid delivered by the Indonesian Air Force. He had also communicated with the Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Ahmad Zaki to allow the passage of the Indonesian Navy hospital ship KRI dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat to dock near El Arish, Sinai in order to deliver further aid for Palestine.

In IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 2 June 2024, Prabowo stated Indonesia's readiness to send troops to Gaza under an UN peacekeeping mission if needed and he also states Indonesia's readiness to evacuate and treat up to 1000 wounded Palestinians in Indonesian hospitals as soon as possible if situation in the ground permits. His statement is further backed by Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Agus Subiyanto, stating the TNI can deploy 1394 personnels for peacekeeping missions in Gaza and has approached Singapore and Australia who express their interest in joining Indonesia for a joint operation. President Jokowi express his support on Prabowo's plan to provide medical aid and instructed him to seek cooperation with the United Arab Emirates on operating a hospital in Gaza and flew to Jordan to attend a summit regarding to Gaza on Jokowi's behalf.

Education
One of Prabowo's first actions as Minister of Defense was to expand the field of study at the Indonesian Defense University (Unhan). In Prabowo's directive, Unhan opened the Bachelor of Military Medicine and Bachelor of Science and Mathematics and Military Science study programs. He also waived tuition fees for distinguished cadets and ensure the welfare of students by providing laptop computers from campus. On 25 March 2022, Jokowi and Prabowo expanded the campus by opening a branch outside Sentul City, Indonesia, West Java, namely Ben Mboi Polytechnic, in Belu, East Nusa Tenggara.

Prabowo also personally received 22 Palestinian students to be enrolled at Unhan on 8 November 2023 with a 5 year term study in medicine, pharmacy, and engineering. He gave them full scholarship and promised to enroll more Palestinian students into the university. According to Prabowo, their enrollment is a part of Indonesia's own commitment to aid Palestine in their efforts to be a recognized sovereign country.

Paradise Papers
In November 2017 an investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism cited his name in the list of politicians named in "Paradise Papers" allegations.

Mirage 2000 procurement
On 13 February 2024, the Corruption Eradication Commission had received a report of alleged corruption conducted by Prabowo in the purchase of ex-Qatar Emiri Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000-5 jet aircraft which was canceled by the Ministry of Defense due to fiscal limitations. Allegedly, the purchased aircraft will be bought at a much higher price and there are gratification involved. Deputy Minister of Defense Muhammad Herindra denied the allegations, dismissing the rumors as slanderous allegations and fake news. In response, the Ministry of Defense appointed lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea to lead the defense. Despite being mentioned in a report that allegedly uncovered the corruption, Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) states that they "never have done any work related to Indonesia".

Political gaffes
On 18 September 2017, at the launch of a book on his father's political economy theory, Prabowo Subianto made a speech warning Indonesia could break apart in 2030. "In other countries, they have made studies, where the Republic of Indonesia has been declared no more in 2030," he said. A video clip of the speech was posted to Gerindra's official Facebook page on 18 March 2018. When asked which studies Prabowo Subianto was referring to, Gerindra official Elnino M. Husein Mohi said, "Prabowo Subianto has read various writings of people that are outside the country, intellectual observers that exist. You can also see them online." It was subsequently revealed the "studies" were actually a 2015 science-fiction war novel called Ghost Fleet by American authors August Cole and P. W. Singer. A note by the authors at the start of the book states: "The following was inspired by real-world trends and technologies. But, ultimately, it is a work of fiction, not prediction." Bemused by Prabowo Subianto citing the book, Singer posted on Twitter: "Indonesian opposition leader cites #GhostFleet in fiery campaign speeches... There have been many unexpected twists and turns from this book experience, but this may take the cake."

In late 2018, Prabowo Subianto was ridiculed after erroneously stating that Haiti, a republic in the Caribbean, is an African country. In a speech made on 23 December 2018 in Solo, Central Java, Prabowo Subianto said the Indonesian government had driven part of Indonesia's wealth offshore. "If this continues to go on, Indonesia will continue to be impoverished," he said. "We, Indonesians, are on par with African impoverished countries such as Rwanda, Haiti, and small islands like Kiribati, which we don't even know where it's located," he added. On 17 January 2019, in the first debate between the candidates in Indonesia's April 2019 presidential election, Prabowo Subianto said some Indonesian governors deserve higher salaries considering the size of their provinces. He gave the example of Central Java province, which he claimed is larger than Malaysia. Local media reports pointed out that Central Java is 32,544.12 square kilometres, while Malaysia is 330,323 square kilometres. After the media reported on the error, Prabowo's campaign team claimed he had actually been referring to the population totals of Malaysia and Central Java. In the same debate, Prabowo Subianto claimed that terrorist attacks in Indonesia were caused by poverty and perpetrated by non-Muslims disguised as Muslims, sent by other countries and controlled by foreigners. Media reports refuted his claims, pointing out that some Indonesian terrorist bombers were not poor and were not manipulated by foreigners.

On 12 December 2023, Prabowo went viral after his commentary about his rival Anies Baswedan on ethics by saying "Ndasmu etik!" (English: God damn ethics!) which is considered insulting him in an internal party congress held by Gerindra. His spokesperson later stated that it was just a joke.

Personal life
Prabowo was married to Titiek Suharto, the daughter of former Indonesian President Suharto. Prabowo saw himself as a potential successor to Suharto and was a staunch supporter of the Suharto regime until its fall in 1998.

Prabowo is a cat lover and owned a cat named Bobby Kertanegara. Bobby was adopted by Prabowo from the streets after a chance meeting, and he often showed up in meetings that Prabowo attended in his residence at Kertanegara. Aside from a cat, he also owned 18 horses in his hill estate in Jonggol Mountains, Bojong Koneng, Bogor Regency (southeast of Sentul City), and he often invited guests to ride one of his horses, especially when Jokowi and Gibran visited. He had once brought his horse to campaign rallies especially in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Prabowo usually wears khaki clothes with many pockets. He himself stated that he liked this suit for practical reasons. Prabowo started wearing it frequently when he was paired with Megawati in the 2009 presidential election.

Religion
In an interview in 2018, Prabowo stated that he is a Muslim who adheres to nationalism view. He added that he had insufficient knowledge about Islam.

On 7 June 2014, Prabowo stated that he could not read the Quran fluently.

On 13 May 2017, Prabowo said that he was not born into a family steeped in Islamic teachings but grew up with his colleagues who were members of various Islamic community organizations.

On 13 May 2023, Prabowo said that he is proud to adhere to Islam which he considers to be the pioneer in many scientific and technological breakthroughs through the world. On 19 November, he said that he feels suitable to adhere to Islamic beliefs from the teachings of Nahdlatul Ulama because he believes that the latter advocates for a form of Islam that is tolerant, protective of society, and moderate.

National honours
As an Indonesian Army officer and Minister of Defence, Prabowo Subianto received the following awards and decorations:
 * Bintang Bhayangkara Utama rib.svg Star of Bhayangkara, 1st Class (Bhayangkara Utama)
 * Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama.gif Grand Meritorious Military Order Star, 1 Class (Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama)
 * Bintang Kartika Eka Paksi Utama rib.svg Army Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class (Bintang Kartika Eka Paksi Utama)
 * Star of the Navy - 1st Class (Indonesia) - ribbon bar.png Navy Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class (Bintang Jalasena Utama)
 * Bintang Swa Bhuana Paksa Utama.gif Air Force Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class (Bintang Swa Bhuana Paksa Utama)
 * Bintang Yudha Dharma Nararya.gif Grand Meritorious Military Order Star, 3rd Class (Bintang Yudha Dharma Nararya)
 * Kartika Eka Paksi Nararya.gif Army Meritorious Service Star, 3rd Class (Bintang Kartika Eka Paksi Nararya)
 * Satyalancana Kesetiaan 24 year service.gif Military Long Service Medal, 24 Years (Satyalancana Kesetiaan XIV Tahun)
 * Satyalencana GOM VII.gif Military Operation Service Medal in Aceh (Satyalancana G.O.M VII)
 * Satyalancana Dwidya Sistha.gif Military Instructor Service Medal (Satyalancana Dwidya Sistha)
 * Satyalencana GOM IX.gif Award-star-gold-3d.svg Military Operation Service Medal IX Raksaka Dharma (Satyalancana G.O.M. IX Raksaka Dharma) w/ 1 gold star
 * Satyalancana Seroja.gif Award-star-gold-3d.svg Award-star-gold-3d.svg Timor Military Campaign Medal (Satyalancana Seroja) w/ 2 gold star
 * Satyalancana Wira Karya.gif Role Model Medal (Satyalancana Wira Karya)

Other honours
On 17 June 2009, Prabowo was declared a member of the Lumban Tobing clan of Toba Batak people. The clan awarding was facilitated by the Punguan Siraja Lumban Tobing Association (PPSLB) and took place at the Lake Toba Convention Center, Medan.

On 28 December 2011, Prabowo received the traditional title of Tongkonan from the indigenous people of Siguntu village, Rantepao, North Toraja. The presentation of the traditional title which was accompanied by the Rambu Solo' mourning ceremony was witnessed by the Governor of South Sulawesi Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Deputy Governor of South Sulawesi Agus Arifin Nu'mang, Commander of Kodam VII/Wirabuana Major General Muhammad Nizam, Regent of Tanah Toraja Theofilus Allorerung, Regent of North Toraja Frederik Batti Sorring, along with thousands of local residents.

He also received the title of Friend of Indonesian Santri from the Zainul Hasan Genggong Islamic Boarding School, Probolinggo on 2 January 2024.

On 28 February 2024, Prabowo was awarded an honorary four-star general rank by President Joko Widodo.