Indonesian Students Protest Election Interference

Hundreds of students protest against Indonesian President Joko Widodo's alleged election interference and family's political dynasty, two days before the country holds mega elections.

A documentary claiming Indonesian President Joko Widodo used state resources to try to swing this week's presidential election in favor of his defense minister has gone viral, amassing millions of views in a day.

Polls show former general Prabowo Subianto is on course to finally lead the world's third-largest democracy after losing to Widodo in 2014 and 2019.

Widodo has been accused by NGOs and legal experts of manipulating eligibility requirements to install his eldest son as Subianto's running mate, as well as increasing welfare handouts ahead of the vote in a tacit boost to the frontrunner, who has campaigned on continuing the president's policies.

The documentary, "Dirty Vote", directed by well-known Indonesian investigative journalist Dandhy Laksono and free to watch on YouTube, asserts that Widodo's administration has used state officials and funds to tilt the vote for Subianto, among other allegations.

The election frontrunner's team held a press conference after its release to deny the allegations.

The documentary, which features three prominent independent legal experts, has racked up more than eight million views on YouTube since its release, with many Indonesians taking to social media to comment on its claims.

"Dirty Vote" trended worldwide overnight, with more than half a million tweets on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Politicians got in on the act too.

A president backing a candidate is not illegal in Indonesia, but Widodo's perceived support for Subianto has caused controversy because it is uncommon in the country for a sitting president to actively back a successor.