In the letter, Biden also praised Prabowo’s role in bringing relations between the US and Indonesia closer.
“For 75 years, Indonesia and the United States have grown closer – bound by shared values and our democratic and pluralistic vision of the world. Together, we have also maintained international stability… Your cooperation as Indonesia’s Minister of Defense is crucial in this effort -this effort,” Biden wrote.
Responding to the congratulations, Prabowo said he was “very honored” and that he “remains committed to strengthening the historical ties between our two countries through further cooperation.”
Based on the manual vote count carried out by the General Election Commission (KPU), Prabowo leads with around 58 percent of the vote.
Biden was one of the foreign leaders who congratulated Prabowo on his unofficial victory.
Leaders of neighboring countries including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Prabowo hours after “quick count” declared his landslide victory.
Other world leaders who have also sent congratulations are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The KPU is expected to announce the official results of the presidential election on March 20 and, if confirmed, the new president and vice president will be inaugurated on October 20.
