Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received an average score of 5.1 out of 10 for leadership quality, while Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka scored 4.4, according to a survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC).
The findings were presented by SMRC founder Saiful Mujani in a study titled "Democratic-Transformative National Leadership: Opinion Leaders Survey."
The research assessed presidential and vice-presidential figures based on evaluations from respondents considered more knowledgeable about national politics than the general electorate.
The assessment covered several leadership qualities, including competence, empathy, integrity, public acceptability, pluralism and inclusiveness, leadership ability, commitment to democracy, and commitment to public welfare.
"Voters generally do not have enough information to assess presidential candidates in depth. That is why we asked a group that is relatively more knowledgeable about these figures. Their assessments are expected to help voters choose leaders with a democratic-transformative vision," Saiful said on Thursday, October 15, 2026, according to a written statement.
Prabowo and Gibran's leadership scores
Prabowo received his lowest score, 4.2 out of 10, for his commitment to the professionalism of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police. The score was equal to that of Kaesang Pangarep and was the lowest among all figures assessed on this measure.
Saiful noted that 84 percent of respondents considered it very important for presidential candidates to support a clear division of responsibilities, with the TNI focused on national defense and the police responsible for public security and order.
On other measures, Prabowo scored 4.9 for empathy, 5.1 for competence, 5.3 for commitment to Indonesia's independent and active foreign policy, 5.5 for leadership ability, and 5.8 for pluralism and inclusiveness.
Gibran scored 3.7 for competence, the second-lowest result after Kaesang, who received 3.3. His scores on other measures ranged from 4.0 for integrity to 5.1 for pluralism and inclusiveness. He scored 4.2 for empathy, 4.3 for leadership ability, 4.5 for commitment to TNI-Police professionalism, and 4.7 for commitment to an independent and active foreign policy.
Mahfud MD leads the assessment
Former Constitutional Court chief justice and former coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs Mahfud MD received the highest overall assessment for democratic-transformative leadership among the 31 figures evaluated.
Mahfud recorded the highest scores in several categories, including 7.6 for competence, 7.3 for empathy, 7.7 for pluralism and inclusiveness, 7.6 for leadership ability, and 7.8 for commitment to TNI-Police professionalism.
He ranked second for commitment to Indonesia's independent and active foreign policy, scoring 7.7, just below former foreign minister Retno Marsudi, who scored 7.8.
How was the SMRC survey conducted?
The survey involved 200 respondents identified as opinion leaders. They included 166 academics and researchers from fields such as politics and government, philosophy, history, religion, culture, sociology, anthropology, economics, development, science, engineering, communications, law, and psychology, as well as 34 senior journalists.
Respondents were recruited through snowball sampling, primarily through national and regional media networks, because no comprehensive national list of opinion leaders was available. They were not selected randomly.
SMRC said the findings should therefore be interpreted as descriptive assessments of the respondents, rather than as representative of all opinion leaders nationwide. A total of 149 respondents agreed to have their names published. The respondents evaluated 31 public figures on a scale of zero to 10.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2121668/smrc-survey-prabowo-scores-5-1-out-of-10-for-leadership-qualit