Election

Among the candidates running for Indonesia’s next president, Ganjar Pranowo has emerged as a strong contender. ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of Ganjar, and examines the factors that would make or break his campaign, including his previous political affiliations and current political efforts.

Prabowo has been in Indonesia’s political scene for decades and his chequered past has not deterred him from multiple runs for vice-president and president. Given his support from the conservative and radical Muslims, with a potential running mate that can boost his standing, will Prabowo finally make his mark as Indonesia’s president in the 2024 elections? ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of this controversial figure.

Despite the heightened tensions following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese academic Guo Bingyun notes all three protagonists — the US, China and Taiwan — in the Taiwan Strait issue have made more gains than losses, at least in the short term.

ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of Anies Baswedan, former education and culture minister of Indonesia, current Jakarta governor, and potential presidential candidate. Will he run, and if he does, what is his platform likely to be?

Japan-based academic Zhang Yun notes that despite the political rivalry between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the late Shinzo Abe, they were political partners that needed each other. With Abe’s demise, will Kishida be able to rein in the other factions of the Liberal Democratic Party and rebuild a unified order within the party and in the government?

With the upper house elections in Japan fast approaching, the various political parties are putting forward their platforms on key issues such as price hikes, foreign and security policy, and constitutional reform. Japanese academic Shin Kawashima examines the factors that will make a difference in how the votes will go, and whether the Kishida administration will manage to secure victory.

Hong Kong’s incoming Chief Executive John Lee has nominated the next batch of senior officials, who have been duly appointed by China’s State Council. Many “new Hong Kongers” are gradually making their way into politics through various channels, facilitated by the central government in Beijing, who are not satisfied with the pro-establishment camp in Hong Kong. But can these new Hong Kongers show that they have the interests of all Hong Kongers at heart?

After the political and societal changes that have taken place in Hong Kong in the 25 years since the handover, what’s left in the aftermath? Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing ponders the nostalgic, the bittersweet and the hard realities of Hong Kong’s present and future.

With inflation reaching historic highs, the Biden administration is facing a challenging road ahead of the midterm elections in November. The lifting of some tariffs on China could ease inflation in the US and appease voters, bringing an end to the China-US trade war. However, views in the White House are mixed. Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong speaks with academics to find out more.