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Jokowi says Sukarno family members fit to lead PDI-P
Amid rumors that Jokowi might take up the chairmanship of the ruling PDI-P after leaving the State Palace next year, the President has said he intends to go back home to Surakarta.
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Megawati Soekarnoputri (center), chairwoman of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) share a moment as presumptive PDI-P nominee Ganjar Pranowo looks on during the party's national meeting on Sept. 29, 2023 in Jakarta. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has shrugged off speculation that he aspired to lead the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) by saying that members of the Sukarno family served well in leading the party.
The President also said he preferred to return to his Central Java hometown of Surakarta after wrapping up his second and final term next year.
"I want to go back home to Solo [Surakarta],” Jokowi said on Thursday, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 78th anniversary celebrations of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at National Monument (Monas) Square.
“There are younger generations in the PDI-P, like Mbak [Ms.] Puan and Mas [Mr.] Prananda," he added, referring to Puan Maharani and Prananda Prabowo, two of PDI-P matron Megawati Soekarnoputri’s three children.
Unlike his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who headed the Democratic Party when he left office in 2014, Jokowi is not an executive of a major political party, a situation that experts say could have political and legal consequences.
In recent months, President Jokowi has made moves apparently aimed at safeguarding his political interests after he steps down next year.
Earlier this month, his son Kaesang Pangarep was elected chairman of the youth-oriented Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).
