Prabowo's approval falls to 44.5% as public discontent grows

President Prabowo Subianto entered office with a landslide victory and promises of economic growth and social welfare, but a new SMRC poll indicates his approval has fallen to 44.5%, down from 81.2% in November 2025. Dissatisfaction has risen to 53.4% of respondents, the lowest level since the 1998 reform era. Voters cite higher living costs, pervasive corruption, and failures in flagship initiatives such as the free nutritious meal scheme and the Red and White Cooperatives.

The administration has responded by reshuffling loyalists, including naming longtime Gerindra Party figure Sudaryono as head of the National Nutrition Agency, the second such change after earlier setbacks. Critics point to ongoing budget overruns, food-poisoning incidents and graft allegations surrounding the nutrition program. The widening gap between public expectations and policy outcomes suggests growing political vulnerability for the president as he approaches the midpoint of his five-year term.