Former military general Prabowo Subianto has been sworn in as Indonesia’s president, as he announced the country’s largest cabinet since the 1960s.
The 73-year-old, who had been dogged by allegations of human rights abuse for decades, was inagurated on Sunday as the country’s eighth president.
This spells the end of an era under former leader Joko Widodo, known locally as Jokowi, who presided over a decade of economic growth and infrastructure development.
Having failed twice to become president, Prabowo finally clawed his way to the highest office after winning over 58% of the vote in February’s elections, against two rivals.
In his inaguration speech on Sunday, Prabowo vowed to eradicate corruption, poverty, and said he would be president for all Indonesians.
“We must always realise that a free nation is where the people are free,” said the president in a fiery speech that lasted almost an hour.
“They must be freed of fear, poverty, hunger, ignorance, oppression, suffering.”
He was sworn in with his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son.
Later on Sunday, Prabowo named 48 ministers and 58 vice-ministers, compared with 34 ministers and 30 vice-ministers under Jokowi.
These include the re-appointment of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a sign of policy continuity in South East Asia’s largest economy.
“Challenges, hurdles and threats that Indonesia is facing amid the global dynamics and turmoil are not light [matters]”, Prabowo said.
His cabinet will be sworn in later on Monday.
Prabowo will kick off his administration with a three-day retreat at a military academy in central Java for his ministers and their deputies.
The participants will sleep in tents, and the retreat is aimed at bonding the cabinet and helping members understand Prabowo’s vision, Reuters cited the migrant protection minister Abdul Kadir Karding as saying.
