After a second night of clashes between angry protesters and security forces, the streets of Jakarta remain calm on this morning, 23rd May. Protesters have held demonstrations for the last two days along the streets around the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) building, as well as certain areas in central Jakarta. The protests are regarding the outcome of the 2019 presidential election results, announced yesterday, which favoured the incumbent Joko Widodo.
The protestors gathered around the supervisory board’s headquarters last night. Many smeared toothpaste on their faces to avoid the effects of tear gas, while others set off firecrackers along the streets. However, as the night fell the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Roads have been quiet since Wednesday as Jakarta dwellers avoided demonstrations in areas of central Jakarta. According to police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo, as of 7 am today, most of the protesters have left. Only one of Jakarta’s MRT stations was open yesterday.
Earlier, Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan released a statement confirming that six people have been killed during the protests in the Tanah Abang area. About 350 people are currently being treated in various Jakarta hospitals for injuries, mostly caused by rubber bullets and tear gas. National police spokesman, Muhamad Iqbal, revealed that many protesters have come from outside of Jakarta.
Envelopes containing money were also discovered in the crowd. Yesterday, presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto also warned his supporters to refrain from any sort of violence. Prabowo also stated that his team will pursue legal processes in the constitutional court in attempt to protest against ‘electoral fraud’ during the 2019 election.
Source: Channel News Asia
Image: Jawa Pos