Candidates vying to succeed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will be staging large, public rallies for the next three weeks with their eyes focused on the battleground provinces in the country’s most populous island of Java.

The open rally season that started on Sunday in the last leg of the campaign period allows all three candidate pairs to hold major campaign events across the country ahead of polling day on Feb. 14.

All three candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo kick-started their rallies in Java on Sunday, while their respective running mates, Muhaimin Iskandar, Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Mahfud MD skipped campaigning so they could concentrate on the fourth election debate in Jakarta later in the evening.

In his first major rally in Tangerang, Banten, Anies emphasized the importance of having an administration that brings about the change that he and his supporters envision.

Frontrunner Prabowo hosted his first mass rally in Majalengka, West Java, during which he pledged to continue Jokowi's programs. The defense minister then traveled to Bogor for another rally in the province.

The third candidate Ganjar visited two cities, Bandung in West Java and Sidoarjo in East Java, on Sunday, during which he called for a fair, accountable election. He was accompanied by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and her heir apparent Puan Maharani.

Final push in Java

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