Indonesian Presidential Election Profiles

The following are the top contenders for the presidential poll:

Aburizal Bakrie

Golkar (Party of the Functional Groups)

Aburizal Bakrie is the 67-year-old patron of one of Indonesia’s most influential family business empires and the presidential candidate for the Golkar party of the late dictator General Suharto. Mr Bakrie’s younger brother Nirwan took control of the family’s football-to-coal mining business group when he joined the government in 2004. Mr Bakrie has struggled to boost his electability because of a devastating 2006 mudflow in East Java that has been blamed on one of the family’s oil and gas companies, although they deny wrongdoing.

Prabowo Subianto

Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement Party)

Prabowo Subianto is a former special forces general who is descended from a line of sultans and pro-independence leaders and was once married to a daughter of the late General Suharto. The 62-year-old formed his own Gerindra party after failing to be selected as presidential candidate by Golkar in 2004. Backed by his tycoon brother, he is promising a revival of the strong leadership that has been lacking under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. But critics highlight his temper and the fact that he has been banned from entering the US because of allegations of human rights abuses, which he denies.

Joko Widodo

PDI-P (Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle)

After a sensational rise from obscurity, Joko Widodo has become the clear frontrunner in the race for the presidency. Just two years ago, he was the little-known mayor of Solo, a small city in central Java. But his unexpected victory in the Jakarta governorship election in 2012 propelled him into the media spotlight. His down-to-earth style, focus on pro-poor policies and canny media management have seen him race ahead of the competition in the polls. Yet, he remains untested on the national stage and his rivals are out to shoot down a man who is more accustomed to being the underdog.

Wiranto

Hanura (People’s Conscience Party)

Like Prabowo Subianto, 66-year-old Wiranto is another former general from the Suharto era, who founded his own political vehicle to promote his presidential ambitions. Like Mr Subianto, he is promising a return to a more muscular style of leadership amid concerns about his record from the Suharto era. His campaign struggled initially but has gained more traction since he selected Hary Tanoesoedibjo, an ethnic Chinese media tycoon, to be his vice-presidential running mate.