Prabowo Subianto Sworn In As President Of Indonesia

Former general Prabowo Subianto, with a controversial military past, was sworn in as Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday.

The former defense minister, who succeeds Joko Widodo, won by a landslide in the first round of presidential elections in February, against two other candidates.

"I swear that I will perform the duties of the President of the Republic of Indonesia to the best of my ability and in the most fair manner, that I will respect the Constitution and that I will apply all laws and regulations to the strictest extent possible," Prabowo declared in parliament.

Prabowo Subianto, 73, has been criticized for alleged human rights abuses in East Timor and Papua, as well as for the torture of pro-democracy activists while he was in the military.

A former commander of the special forces involved in the 1975 invasion of East Timor, Prabowo has always denied the allegations and has never been the subject of a criminal trial.

Prabowo ran for the third time, after losing to Joko Widodo in 2014 and 2019.