Jakarta mayor to run for Indonesia presidency
Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s most popular politician by far, has ended months of speculation by announcing he will run as a candidate for the country’s presidency in the July election. The Jakarta governor made the March 14 announcement the most anticipated in Indonesian politics.
It signals that the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Sukarnoputri, has finally renounced her own ambition to run again for president, and has given her blessing to the man universally known as Jokowi.
The governor took a break from an impromptu visit to subsidised housing in Marunda, North Jakarta to welcome the news on Friday. He told a crowd of reporters and local residents that he was prepared to mount a campaign for the July election.
“I have been given the blessing of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri to be a presidential candidate,” Joko said before touching his head to the Indonesian flag in a show of respect. “Bismillahirrahmanirahim, I am ready.”
The PDI-P made the official announcement as Megawati read from a handwritten note at the party’s headquarters in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta. The one-time president made a direct appeal to Indonesian voters, asking them to support Joko in the coming presidential campaign.
“My command is, as the PDI-P chairwoman, to the people of Indonesia who have consciousness for justice and honesty wherever you are: support Bapak Joko Widodo as PDI-P presidential candidate,” Megawati read.
She also urged voters to keep a watchful eye for election fraud during this April’s hugely important legislative elections. Political observers expect the PDI-P, the country’s main opposition party, to receive a boost in the legislative race amid growing discontent with members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s ruling coalition.
Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s most popular politician by far, has ended months of speculation by announcing he will run as a candidate for the country’s presidency in the July election. The Jakarta governor made the March 14 announcement the most anticipated in Indonesian politics. It signals that the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Sukarnoputri, has finally renounced her own ambition to run again for president, and has given her blessing to the man universally known as Jokowi. The governor took a break from an impromptu visit to subsidised housing in Marunda, North Jakarta to welcome the news on...
Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s most popular politician by far, has ended months of speculation by announcing he will run as a candidate for the country’s presidency in the July election. The Jakarta governor made the March 14 announcement the most anticipated in Indonesian politics.
It signals that the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Sukarnoputri, has finally renounced her own ambition to run again for president, and has given her blessing to the man universally known as Jokowi.
The governor took a break from an impromptu visit to subsidised housing in Marunda, North Jakarta to welcome the news on Friday. He told a crowd of reporters and local residents that he was prepared to mount a campaign for the July election.
“I have been given the blessing of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri to be a presidential candidate,” Joko said before touching his head to the Indonesian flag in a show of respect. “Bismillahirrahmanirahim, I am ready.”
The PDI-P made the official announcement as Megawati read from a handwritten note at the party’s headquarters in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta. The one-time president made a direct appeal to Indonesian voters, asking them to support Joko in the coming presidential campaign.
“My command is, as the PDI-P chairwoman, to the people of Indonesia who have consciousness for justice and honesty wherever you are: support Bapak Joko Widodo as PDI-P presidential candidate,” Megawati read.
She also urged voters to keep a watchful eye for election fraud during this April’s hugely important legislative elections. Political observers expect the PDI-P, the country’s main opposition party, to receive a boost in the legislative race amid growing discontent with members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s ruling coalition.
