Soaring Food Prices in Indonesia Weigh on Jokowi’s Popularity

Shoppers at Tanah Abang marktet in Jakarta.

Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg
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High food prices brought President Joko Widodo’s approval rating to the lowest level since Indonesia braved through the deadliest wave of the pandemic. A cooking oil export ban last week may help him recover.

About 59.9% of respondents were satisfied with his performance, down from a high of 75.3% in early January, according to an April survey by Indikator. More than a third cited the rising cost of basic goods as the reason for their dissatisfaction, as four out of five people said they had difficulty getting cooking oil recently.