Andi Widjajanto reports decline in Prabowo Subianto approval rating

During the CALD Conference 2026 in Yogyakarta, Andi Widjajanto, Head of the PDI Perjuangan Research Agency and Senior Advisor to LAB 45, reported a significant decline in President Prabowo Subianto’s approval rating, which has reportedly dropped to 28 percent from previous levels above 80 percent.

Widjajanto characterized Indonesia’s democratic decline as “autocratic legalism,” distinguishing it from the military coups seen in Thailand or the personalization of power in the Philippines. He argued that Indonesia’s democratic weakening occurs through formal legal and institutional channels rather than force. He cited the 2019 revision of the KPK anti-corruption law, the 2023 Constitutional Court rulings regarding candidate nominations, and the 2025 revision of the Military Law as evidence that “everything was legalized” and that law is being used as a tool of power rather than a constraint.

Additionally, Widjajanto noted that Indonesia’s low tax-to-GDP ratio, approximately 10 percent, contributes to a lack of government incentive to respond to public aspirations.