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‘No more calls for term extension nor elections delay’: Jokowi tells aides
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his aides to stop calling for an extension of his term or postponement of the 2024 elections as he asked them instead to focus on handling the rising threat of inflation. But he stopped short of rejecting the idea of having his term extended outright.
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Incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and First Lady Iriana cast their ballots at a polling station during the presidential and legislative elections in Jakarta on April 17, 2019. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his aides to stop calling for an extension of his term or the postponement of the 2024 elections, asking them instead to focus on handling the rising threat of inflation. But he stopped short of rejecting the idea of having his term extended outright.
“Nobody brings up the matter of [a term] extension nor [elections] delay anymore. No more,” the President said as he closed his opening remark during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, a recording of which was only published by the Presidential Secretariat on Youtube on Wednesday.
He said that his ministers should “focus on working to handle difficulties [people are facing due to inflation].”
Citing the need for economic recovery and Jokowi’s high public approval rating, political elites from the ruling coalition and Jokowi’s administration have publicly suggested the election be postponed to give the President more time to deal with the consequences of the pandemic.
Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia was the first to raise the idea of delaying the elections as he claimed in January that the business community was concerned that the political upheaval associated with election time might disrupt Indonesia's post-pandemic economic recovery.
The idea then gained support, with Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto, National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar and National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan in late February publicly suggesting the 2024 elections be postponed.
Read also: Push for Jokowi’s term extension intensifies
