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As Indonesia goes to the polls, women and minority candidates face challenges
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Rian Ernest, a Golkar Party candidate, shows his campaign cards during a campaign rally at a lower-income neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 19, 2024. Christians like Ernest face questions about their faith in the world's third-largest democracy, which will stage presidential and legislative elections Feb. 14. - photo by AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — With a broad smile on his face, Jakarta city council candidate Rian Ernest answers almost every question about his faith with the same line. “I’m Christian, but my wife and children are Muslims, so pray for me to get the guidance," Ernest said. Ernest is one of thousands of candidates facing the contradictions of seeking office as a member of a minority in the world's third-largest democracy, which is holding national elections on Wednesday.