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AKARTA: Senior Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul said that the background of Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo as a furniture businessman and mayor of a small town would barely make him a qualified presidential candidate.

Ruhut, who is known for his controversial statements, said that Jokowi did not deserve to be a candidate for the 2014 presidential election, because he is only a mediocre governor.

'It's getting worse. We still have traffic jams and flooding everywhere. He does not deserve to be a candidate. In fact, he also failed as mayor of Surakarta. A furniture man should not become president,' Ruhut said as quoted by kompas.com.

Ruhut said the only reason for Jokowi's popularity was his skill in polishing up his public image. 'Don't be fooled by his public relations campaign,' Ruhut said.

Many pollsters have predicted that Jokowi could be the dark horse in the 2014 presidential election, beating even the favorite candidate Prabowo Subianto of the Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party.

Jokowi has openly rejected calls for him being nominated for the 2014 presidential election, saying that he would focus on handling the Jakarta problems of traffic congestion and flooding.