Indonesians in UAE to vote in absentia on Friday

Dubai: Indonesians in the UAE will vote for their president and vice-president at the Indonesian missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Friday, ahead of their elections back home on July 9.

The Indonesian Presidential election will be held at the embassy in Al Bateen in Abu Dhabi and at the consulate-general in Mankhool in Dubai on Friday between 4pm and 11pm. This is the third time Indonesian expatriates are being given a chance to vote from the UAE.

There are about 18,000 registered Indonesian voters in the UAE, more than 8,000 of whom are in Dubai and the northern emirates.

Despite this number, Nashiruddin Mawardi, chairman of the Indonesian Overseas Election Committee in Dubai, said he expects that only around 1,500 voters will turn up on Friday. But he encouraged voters to exercise their right to vote this presidential election.

“When we had the legislative elections here in April, only about 1,200 came. That’s about less than 20 per cent of the total registered voters. Hopefully for the presidential elections, we will have more,” Mawardi told Gulf News.

“Now it is time for them [voters] to tell us what they want, to voice the change that they want. If they will be apathetic about it, then who will create the change that they want?” he added.

Voters on Friday will choose between two contenders for the presidential race — former Jakarta governor Joko Widodo and ex-general Prabowo Subianto.

Registered voters should bring their emirates ID or Indonesian passport to vote on Friday.