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Making matters worse, critics say, is the presidential hopeful he appears to be backing: Prabowo Subianto, a former general who was once a rival of Mr. Joko and who is accused of committing human rights abuses when Indonesia was a dictatorship. Mr. Prabowo, whose running mate is Mr. Joko\u2019s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has been ahead in the polls.<\/p>\n
Mr. Joko\u2019s implicit maneuvering has led to soul-searching among many Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are now asking: \u2018How much should we sacrifice for development?\u2019\u201d said Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer who specializes in Indonesian politics at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in the city of Bandung.<\/p>\n
At stake in this election, critics said, is the fate of a young democracy that is now the world\u2019s third largest.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesians have feared that a victory by Mr. Prabowo \u2014 who led a crackdown on activists in Indonesia and what is now East Timor \u2014 could send the country back to its authoritarian past. Many remember the brutal, kleptocratic rule of Mr. Prabowo\u2019s former father-in-law and boss, the dictator Suharto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe future is bleak, awfully bleak,\u201d said Butet Kartaredjasa, 64, an artist from the city of Yogyakarta. He said that if Mr. Prabowo won and faced protests, ordinary people would become the victims of any ensuing violence.<\/p>\n
The election in Indonesia matters far beyond its borders. The world\u2019s fourth-most-populous country, it is of growing strategic importance to both the United States and China. As one of the world\u2019s top producers of coal, palm oil and nickel, it sits atop the supply chains of many international companies and will have a major bearing on the future of the climate change crisis.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is the world\u2019s third-largest democracy, and an important outlier in a region where the will of the people is often ignored. Even though democracy is widely considered to be imperfect here, many Indonesians have embraced it as a way of life. Elections in the last three decades have been considered free and fair, and no one wants a return to the days of Suharto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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While Mr. Prabowo had led the three-way race, some polls suggested that he would be forced into a runoff in June, either against Anies Baswedan, a former governor of Jakarta, or Ganjar Pranowo, who ran Central Java. Their platforms do not differ significantly, experts say, but Mr. Prabowo\u2019s strongman bona fides set him apart.<\/p>\n
Much of Mr. Joko\u2019s support base shifted to Mr. Prabowo, 72, who has promised to continue Mr. Joko\u2019s policies and tried to rebrand himself as a gemoy, or cuddly, grandfather.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support Prabowo now because of Jokowi,\u201d said Rizki Safitri, 36, a voter from Jakarta, referring to Mr. Joko by his nickname. \u201cI want to ensure that Jokowi\u2019s programs that are good are continued and made even better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Joko\u2019s co-opting of Mr. Prabowo started a few years ago, when the president appointed his former election rival as his defense minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our friends in the U.S., it\u2019s as if Obama suddenly decided to support Trump while still endorsing a Democrat program,\u201d said Andi Widjajanto, who resigned as a strategist for Mr. Joko in October and began working for Mr. Ganjar, one of the other presidential hopefuls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It is far from clear what Mr. Joko\u2019s influence will be on Indonesian politics after he leaves office or if the ticket of Mr. Prabowo and Mr. Joko\u2019s son, Mr. Gibran, wins. A vice president does not hold much power in Indonesia but can take the top post in the event of a president\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t expect Prabowo will allow Jokowi to carry too much influence,\u201d said Natalie Sambhi, executive director at Verve Research, which studies the relationship between militaries and societies. \u201cNow, the question becomes, if Prabowo starts to steer Indonesia in a different direction from Jokowi\u2019s vision, what will happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Gibran\u2019s partnership with Mr. Prabowo has left many of Mr. Joko\u2019s allies baffled. Many could not understand why a man who benefited from direct democracy now has dynastic desires. But they now acknowledge that Mr. Joko had set the ball rolling years ago.<\/p>\n
His son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, the mayor of Medan, is running in the North Sumatra governor\u2019s race. In October, Mr. Joko\u2019s youngest child, Kaesang Pangarep, 28, joined the youth-oriented Indonesia Solidarity Party. Within two days, he became its chair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr. Jokowi \u201cused to be the hope of the people; he is now no longer a leader, but a ruler, an official who is building dynastic politics,\u201d said Maria Sumarsih, 71. Ms. Maria\u2019s son was killed by security forces in November 1998 during a student protest at his university.<\/p>\n
Last year, Mr. Joko\u2019s brother-in-law cast the deciding vote in the Constitutional Court\u2019s decision to lower the age of vice-presidential candidates, allowing Mr. Gibran, 36, to join the race. An uproar followed, but Mr. Joko doubled down in recent weeks, saying that \u201ca president is permitted to endorse candidates and take sides.\u201d The message to many was unmistakable. By his side was Mr. Prabowo.<\/p>\n
His statement fueled another outcry, prompting Mr. Joko to appear on YouTube holding up a poster and pointing to passages from the 2017 General Elections Law stating that presidents are allowed to participate in campaigning. \u201cDon\u2019t interpret it otherwise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But legal experts said Mr. Joko was selectively quoting the law, which also states that he must take a leave of absence if he wants to campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n