Hundreds of students and activists rallied in some major cities for more "Dark Indonesia" protests on Friday, opposing President Prabowo Subianto's policies including $19 billion of spending cuts that they say undermine their support systems.

Students rallied in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities on Thursday to protest President Prabowo Subianto’s state budget revamp that has threatened contractual workers’ jobs, rolled back scholarships and dimmed lighting at government offices.

The week-long protest is driven by popular discontent with President Prabowo Subianto's drastic and inconsistent budget austerity measures.

From office lights switched off to out-of-service lifts, Indonesian civil servants are feeling the pinch after President Prabowo Subianto ordered sweeping budget cuts across government that he said will fund his big-ticket campaign pledges.

Indonesia’s future capital city will likely emerge unscathed with its budget intact even as a host of agencies see deep spending cuts to ensure more funding for President Prabowo Subianto’s signature social programs.

Thousands of students took to the streets in cities across the country this week, decrying what they call Indonesia Gelap or “Dark Indonesia” and marking the first concerted resistance to the policies of Prabowo Subianto since the former general became president four months ago.

Thousands of Indonesians rallied nationwide Friday to protest budget cuts by President Prabowo Subianto's government aimed at funding a free-meal programme and other big-ticket campaign pledges. Analysts have said the cuts were likely to shift funds to programmes like the $4.

Indonesia began rolling out free health screenings across the country, fulfilling a popular campaign pledge by President Prabowo Subianto to boost preventative health care even as the former general reins in other spending in the world’s fourth most populous nation.

By Budi Satriawan and Yuddy Cahya Budiman YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Thousands of students staged 'Dark Indonesia' protests in cities across the country on Thursday against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto,