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Indonesia in 2025: a year of collision and contrast as Prabowo takes charge
President Prabowo Subianto asserts his authority as he navigates the global stage and domestic challenges in his first full year in office
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Indonesia’s 2025 unfolded as a year of collision and contrast – President Prabowo Subianto asserting his authority, mass protests erupting in the streets, global diplomacy expanding outwards, climate disaster striking at home and a viral moment that turned aura farming into the country’s top cultural export of the year.
Prabowo takes charge
Prabowo entered his first full year in office with a strong mandate and an unusually high level of public goodwill. Over 2025, he moved quickly to consolidate authority and set direction, pairing ambitious domestic pledges with an outward-looking foreign policy and projecting an image of decisiveness after years of coalition-driven politics.
At home, Prabowo sought to brand himself as a hands-on, people-focused leader through highly visible initiatives aimed at welfare and economic security. His flagship free nutritious meals programme for schoolchildren became the clearest expression of that approach, while other moves – including pledges to boost food self-sufficiency, tighten state stewardship of strategic resources and streamline decision-making – reinforced a preference for bold, centralised action.
Not all of it went smoothly. The meals programme ran into food safety lapses and budget pressures, forcing adjustments to funding and roll-out. Elsewhere, market jitters over fiscal discipline, a cabinet reshuffle and the launch of powerful new state investment vehicles raised questions about governance and transparency. The year also brought bouts of street unrest, culminating in major protests that tested the government’s response to public anger and police accountability.
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Despite the criticism, Prabowo largely resisted backtracking, framing setbacks as the cost of moving fast and arguing that long-term gains would outweigh early turbulence.
Politically, those challenges did little to derail him. Prabowo closed the year on firm footing, with his approval rating steady at 78 per cent in a November survey, reflecting continued public confidence despite economic pressures and policy criticism. Analysts point to a fragmented opposition, a broad governing coalition that has largely backed his agenda, and a public appetite for stability that has given Prabowo room to recalibrate without paying a heavy political price.
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On the international stage, Prabowo moved quickly to raise Indonesia’s profile, emphasising strategic autonomy and a more assertive role in a multipolar world. He positioned Indonesia as an active voice on the war in Gaza, attending international talks and backing ceasefire efforts in line with Jakarta’s long-standing support for Palestinian statehood, an issue that resonates strongly at home. He also held bilateral meetings with major leaders across Asia, the Middle East and beyond, pitching Indonesia as a stable partner open to investment and cooperation.
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