Prabowo's Electability Plummets, Expert Calls for Cabinet Shake-up

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto faces a stark warning as his electability has plummeted in a recent survey, a development that political communication expert Jamiluddin Ritonga says demands immediate and drastic action. The Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) survey revealed a sharp drop in Prabowo's electability from 34.9 percent in November 2026 to 14.5 percent in July 2026. This decline mirrors a significant fall in public satisfaction with his performance, which dropped from 81.2 percent in November 2025 to 51.1 percent in July 2026.

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It is definitely a warning sign for Prabowo if he intends to run for the next Presidential Election.

Ritonga, from Esa Unggul University, emphasized that this trend is a critical signal for Prabowo if he intends to seek re-election. He warned that continued decline could severely impact his chances in the 2029 presidential election, especially if economic, political, and law enforcement conditions do not improve. The expert stressed the necessity for Prabowo to undertake a thorough evaluation, particularly of ministers in the economic, political, and legal sectors.

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Prabowo needs to be firm and brave in reshuffling the ministers in these three areas.

"Prabowo needs to be firm and brave in reshuffling the ministers in these three areas," Ritonga stated, adding that without this decisive action, regaining public trust will be challenging. He pointed out that these ministers have directly contributed to the dip in public satisfaction. While acknowledging the difficulty of such choices, Ritonga asserted their necessity for boosting the president's electability.

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Because the ministers in these three areas have caused the decline in public satisfaction with President Prabowo's performance.

The SMRC survey, conducted between July 5-19, 2026, with 749 respondents, also highlighted that West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi's electability has surged from 19.7 percent to 35 percent in the same period, surpassing Prabowo. SMRC Executive Director Deni Irvani noted the particular interest in Prabowo's sharp decline, given his recent presidential victory. The survey's methodology involved phone interviews for 83.8 percent of respondents and face-to-face interviews for the rest, reflecting the proportion of mobile phone users and non-users, with a margin of error of approximately 3.7 percent.

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But it seems necessary if Prabowo truly wants to boost his electability.