Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto expressed gratitude as he took the stage for his final presidential campaign at Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday, claiming that the crowd size exceeded the initial target of 200,000 by four times.
Waves of supporters flocked to the area around the country's largest stadium in Central Jakarta since the morning, causing massive traffic congestion on nearby streets.
Many were unable to enter the stadium due to overloaded capacity and had to wait for hours until the candidate arrived at the stage at 2 p.m., one hour ahead of schedule due to the continuous arrivals of rally-goers.
State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir, one of many cabinet members who had openly expressed support for Prabowo's presidential bid, walked to the stadium after his motorcade got stuck in traffic.
"I apologize to those who didn't make it inside the stadium. I estimated the size of my crowd to be around 200,000, but it turns out that more than 800,000 people are attending my rally. This is extraordinary," Prabowo said.
He reiterated the key talking points in his campaign, including free meals for all children if he wins the presidency in his third attempt.
"I just can't understand people who disagree with our children getting free meals. This is too much!" Prabowo told his supporters. "They say providing free meals for children is trivial. They must have lost their minds."
Prabowo has been leading many presidential polls since appointing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate in October. At least four research agencies have predicted that he will secure an outright win in the Feb. 14 election.
The president has confirmed he will not participate in any presidential campaign and maintain a neutral stance in the three-person election.
Just a few kilometers from the venue, rival candidate Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar held a rally at Jakarta International Stadium, which he built while serving as governor. He urged voters to decide their choice "with a conscience."
The third candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, and running mate Mohammad Mahfud MD held two rallies in Central Java – from Solo to Semarang. The venues were selected to symbolize the transfer of leadership from Jokowi, who was once the mayor of Solo, to Ganjar, who resided in Semarang when he served as a two-term Central Java governor, a campaign spokesman said.