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mid widespread speculation about the role of Megawati Soe-karnoputri'€™s close friend, Rini Mariani Soemarno, in determining the composition of the new Cabinet, an aide to President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo said the final lineup was very close to completion.

Former deputy of his transition team, Andi Widjajanto, said Jokowi had completed '€œaround 99 percent'€ of assembling the much-anticipated ministerial list.

In a move that many see as Jokowi trying to accommodate demands from political parties in his coalition, Andi also revealed that the President had decided to revert to the original 34-minister Cabinet, dropping his plan for 33 ministers.

Andi, however, declined to give details as to when and where Jokowi would make the announcement.

'€œPlease don'€™t speculate. Let'€™s just wait for him,'€ Andi said at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

Jokowi dropped his plan to announce his Cabinet lineup on Wednesday evening at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta.

The Presidential Office had set up a stage at container Terminal 3 of the port, where the President was expected to make the announcement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Jokowi said he had to replace eight candidates who had been flagged as problematic by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said finding replacements for the eight vacant posts was not easy.

'€œFor example, we have to maintain the proportional representation of men and women in the Cabinet, not to mention ministers that represent minority faiths and certain regions. This is important because Indonesia is a vast nation,'€ Kalla said late on Wednesday.

Some sources, however, said several candidates red-flagged by the KPK were close to '€œpowerful figures'€ in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)-led coalition.

Jokowi, Kalla, former members of the transition team and PDI-P chairperson Megawati were said to be involved in heated debates, leading to what some described as '€œintense miscommunication'€.

Those familiar with the discussions were concerned about the role of the former chairperson of the transition team and Megawati'€™s confidant, Rini .

Rini chaired the transition team until it was disbanded on Oct. 20. She continued to be at Jokowi'€™s side, however, during some of the President'€™s high-level talks.

Former president director of PT Astra International, Rini was also present when Jokowi interviewed his ministerial candidates, which further raised eyebrows because Rini herself was a ministerial candidate.

Analysts said Rini'€™s role was only as an extension of Megawati.

The former trade minister has been considered a go-between, bridging the interests of Jokowi and Megawati.

Contacted separately, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) coordinator Ade Irawan said the presence of figures deemed '€œvery close'€ to powerful political figures, such as Megawati, in Jokowi'€™s inner circle could be seen as an indication that Jokowi was trying to accommodate the interests of the oligarchs.

'€œThe candidates close to political party leaders lack competence and those who served as ministers in the past performed abysmally. Jokowi and Kalla must be resolute in resisting such political pressure and should just stick to reports prepared by the KPK and PPATK [Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre],'€ Ade said.

But many also suspect that the antigraft bodies are being used by Jokowi as tools to fend off partisan demands.

'€œIt'€™s a smart move by him [Jokowi] to use the KPK to get rid of candidates who he'€™s not comfortable working with,'€ Golkar Party lawmaker Tantowi Yahya said.

A source familiar with the Red-and-White Coalition, which backed defeated presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the July 9 presidential election, said the impasse at the House of Representatives over the formation of House commissions and internal bodies was due to an unanswered proposal by Prabowo, who wanted to have his candidate selected by Jokowi for the Cabinet.

Another source said Prabowo had proposed a businessman for the role of state-owned enterprises minister when he met with Kalla on Wednesday.