The majority of them found the allegations put forward by the Anies and Ganjar teams were baseless, but there were three dissenting opinions.

These judges said the presidential, legislative and regional elections should be re-run only in certain provinces, including Bali, North Sumatra and most on the populous island of Java, which includes Jakarta.

The judges had concerns about the distribution of social aid, but said even if it was a vote-buying exercise it constituted a crime of ethics rather than of statutes.

Judge Arief Hidayat added that agents and agencies of the Widodo administration, which were supposed to remain neutral, “took the side of a certain candidate pair” and therefore “clearly tarnished the electoral justice system”.

The winning pair won a first-round victory in February with more than 58 per cent of the vote, capitalising on the tacit backing of the popular Widodo, who is constitutionally barred from a third term.

Critics say the president has been seeking to build a family dynasty, maintain political influence and cement his legacy. To this end, Jokowi and Prabowo found mutual benefit in each other.

The president-elect’s successful election campaign was largely founded on promises of Widodo continuity, and were made genuine for voters by his choice of Gibran.

The apparent melding of the Prabowo and Widodo teams was a surprise because of their once-bitter rivalry and opposing parties. Widodo, or Jokowi as he is commonly known, defeated Prabowo for the presidency in 2014 and again in 2019.

Prabowo refused to accept the outcomes and, like Anies and Ganjar now, unsuccessfully went to the Constitutional Court. Protests over the 2019 election left several dead.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.