Indonesia is heading to the polls on 17 April. Incumbent president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is fighting for a second term with his new vice-presidential pick Ma’ruf Amin, an influential Muslim cleric. They’re facing off against former army general Prabowo Subianto and former deputy governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno.

For this special episode of Southeast Asia Dispatches, Aisyah Llewellyn, our Deputy Editor for Bahasa Indonesia, Nita Roshita, our Consulting Editor for Kalimantan, and Ian Morse, our Consulting Editor for Sulawesi, discuss the mood ahead of the elections, the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates, the main themes that may win or lose the election, and their predictions for the outcome.

Ian Morse is a journalist based in Gorontalo and covering eastern Indonesia and Kalimantan. He tweets @ianjmorse.

Nita Roshita had 10 years’ experiences as a journalist with a world winning Radio News Agency KBR68H. She is South East Asia Press Alliance – SEAPA Fellow 2007 and a 2015/2016 Chevening Scholar. A blogger, an environmental activist and co-founded Kait Nusantara, a venture for woman empowerment and literacy.

Aisyah Llewellyn is a British freelance writer based in Medan, Indonesia. She is a former diplomat and writes primarily about Indonesian politics, culture, travel and food.