International

The controversial former General Prabowo is declared the official winner of the elections in Indonesia

The controversial former General Prabowo Subianto, accused of human rights violations during his time as a military, has been declared the winner of the presidential elections in Indonesia held on February 14 on Wednesday, according to official results.

After more than a month of counting, the Indonesian Electoral Commission indicated on its YouTube channel that Prabowo obtained 58% of the votes, compared to the 24% achieved by former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and 16% of former Java governor Central Ganjar Pranobo, the other two candidates for the presidency.

Since the elections, there have been numerous protests to denounce an alleged electoral fraud and both Anies and Ganjar also recently affirmed their intention to legally challenge the results by denouncing that Prabowo has received unofficial support from the outgoing president, Joko Widodo.

The former general has presented himself in tandem with the Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36 years old and who will become vice president.

Both received more than 96.21 million votes, compared to 40.97 million from Anies and his electoral partner, the aspiring vice president Muhaimin Iskandar, and 27.04 million from Ganjar and Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin.

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These elections in Indonesia, the third democracy in the world and the country with the most Muslims on the planet, have been marked by the past of Prabowo, accused of human rights violations when he was head of the elite Korpassus corps (December 1995 to March 1998) and the special forces (from March to May 1998).

However, Prabowo, a 72-year-old outgoing Minister of Defense, managed to position himself as the favorite candidate after having rehabilitated his image as an “endearing” grandfather through a campaign in which he has come to perform dances that went viral on TikTok, in a wink to the younger voters.

His alliance with Gibran Rakabuming Raka was also a revulsive to his campaign due to Widodo’s popularity.

This electoral pact provoked criticism among the followers of Anies, 54, and Ganjar, 55.

Widodo, who could not run for election again due to the legal limit of two terms, did not publicly position himself on any candidate, but the rest of the candidates allege that his implicit support was crucial for Prabowo’s victory.

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Indonesian laws allow the outgoing president to position himself on future campaigns, although they prohibit the use of state funds for them, one of the main aspects on which the complaints of the candidates against Prabowo and Gibran are based.

Of an angry and decisive nature, Prabowo has been accused of abuses against civilians in East Timor and Papua and the kidnapping of activists during his time in the Army, from which he was expelled for disobedience in 1998, and had his entry banned in the United States for several years.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.