A referendum on the democratic era, but also a vote capable of strengthening or changing the direction of international markets. Today the polls opened in Indonesia for the third free elections in the country, the third largest democracy in the world. Two candidates are vying for the presidency: one is Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi), a 53-year-old entrepreneur who achieved success despite humble origins, while the other is former general Pabowo Subianto, right arm of the despot Suharto, who ruled for 32 years ( until 1998) the country.
It is, as mentioned, a kind of referendum on democracy. Jokowi is a moderate Muslim, symbol of the democratic era and governor of Jakarta, while Subianto would represent, not only for his past, a step backwards towards a return to dictatorship.
The latest polls still show Jokowi as the favourite, despite his advantage over his opponent having drastically reduced over the last two months. The situation will also be observed with particular attention by the international financial markets, because Indonesia, like many other Asian stock exchanges (among which India and Vietnam stand out) is running very strongly, after some negative years, to such an extent that it has recorded overall growth around to 15% in 2014.
Therefore, the political unknowns of the vote are also linked to the financial unknowns, since, depending on who wins the elections, the Asian country's economic programs will be destined for drastic changes.
