Indonesia: Jokowi Widens Lead in Indonesia Election as Voting Day Nears

• Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s lead over his challenger Prabowo Subianto widened to almost 26 points a month out from the country’s election, the latest pre-poll survey shows.
• Widodo, also known as Jokowi, and his running mate Ma’ruf Amin would garner 57.6% of votes if elections were held in mid-Mar 19, up from 54.9% in a Jan 19 survey.
• Meanwhile Subianto, popularly known as Prabowo, and Sandiaga Uno would secure 31.8%, down from 32.1%, according to a survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting released on 17 Mar 19.
• The survey of 2,820 respondents was held from 24 Feb 19 to 5 Mar 19 and has a two% margin of error. The percentage of undecided voters declined to 10.6% from 13% in Jan 19 survey.
• Jokowi’s support increased as voters continued to be optimistic about economic conditions, the incumbent’s ability to lead the country, his performance in presidential debates and public’s disregard of “various lies and slander” about him, Saiful Mujani said.
• Survey found 71% of the respondents were quite satisfied with Jokowi’s performance and 66% believe in his ability to lead Indonesia. Only 18%-19% said economic conditions were worse than a year ago.

External Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-18/jokowi-widens-lead-in-indonesia-election-as-voting-day-nears