President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka were sworn in at a ceremony at the parliament building in Central Jakarta, attended by senior Indonesian officials and several foreign guests, the SCMP reported.
Indonesian police and military have deployed at least 100,000 people across Jakarta to prepare for the inauguration, including snipers and anti-riot units who will be on guard duty until October 23.
Mr Prabowo, a retired army general, won Indonesia's presidential election in February, receiving about 58% of the vote. He previously ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2014 and 2019.
According to observers, Mr. Prabowo's victory was largely due to the implicit support of outgoing President Joko Widodo. The selection of Mr. Widodo's son, 37-year-old Gibran, as his vice presidential candidate significantly boosted Mr. Prabowo's position in opinion polls.
At 73, Mr Prabowo is Indonesia's oldest president to take office, while Mr Gibran, 37, is the country's youngest-ever vice president.
The world will be watching how the 73-year-old president navigates Indonesia's economic, defense and foreign policies at a time of geopolitical and trade tensions.
Mr Prabowo has pledged to continue Mr Widodo's legacy, including an infrastructure drive and plans to move the country's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara in East Kalimantan.
But analysts told CNA that Prabowo could adopt different approaches in his economic, defense and foreign policies. He is also likely to prioritize programs and campaign pledges, such as a program to provide free meals to schoolchildren and pregnant women.
The former general could also pave the way for the military to play a larger role in Indonesia. Analysts point to the fact that Prabowo has allocated 165.2 trillion rupiah (more than $10 billion) to the Ministry of National Defense, the largest of all ministries.
