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People gather to bid Jokowi farewell – and welcome home
Crowds of people gathered along the routes of outgoing president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his wife Iriana on Sunday, bidding them farewell as they departed the presidential palace compound in Jakarta for the last time and welcoming them back home in Surakarta.
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Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right) and his wife Iriana Widodo board an Indonesian Air Force plane on Oct. 20, 2024 at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta. The former president and former first lady departed to their Central Java hometown of Surakarta following the peaceful transfer of power to newly installed President Prabowo Subianto. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
T
he inauguration of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia’s eighth president on Oct. 20 marked the formal end to the two-term, decade-long presidency of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whom his successor sent off with pomp and ceremony, including an honor guard.
Former president Jokowi kicked off his day by departing from Merdeka Palace to the Senayan legislative complex, where he and wife Iriana attended the swearing-in ceremony of his successor Prabowo and the couple’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, led by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Afterward, the former president and former first lady rushed back to the palace so they could be ready to host newly installed President Prabowo at a farewell reception, which has become tradition.
The new President took some time to arrive at the reception, as he took the scenic route along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, waving in greeting as he passed a throng of well-wishers.
Hundreds of people had gathered along the thoroughfare in downtown Jakarta, hoping to catch a glimpse of either Jokowi or Prabowo as they drove from the legislative to the presidential complex, with the biggest crowds spotted around the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle.
Read also: Jokowi wishes Prabowo good luck as he returns to hometown
When he arrived at the palace, Prabowo was greeted by a veritable wall of flower boards installed along the complex’s fence, bearing messages of congratulations for the new President and Vice President as well as gratitude for his predecessor.
