Indonesia's Prabowo grilled over fighter jet plan in third debate

Presidential hopeful vows 'good neighbor' policy amid South China Sea tensions

Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto speaks during a televised debate at the Istora Senayan stadium in Jakarta on Jan. 7. © Reuters

ERWIDA MAULIA and ISMI DAMAYANTI, Nikkei staff writers

January 8, 2024 11:51 JST

JAKARTA -- During the third official debate ahead of next month's Indonesian presidential election on Sunday, leading candidate Prabowo Subianto was grilled over his ministry's plan to purchase used fighter jets from Qatar.

The defense minister has been on the defensive as he widened his lead over his two rivals -- former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo -- in opinion polls released in recent weeks. The poll results suggest he is inching closer to securing a majority of votes, after naming Gibran Rakabuming, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, as his running mate.