resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Wednesday that he had received and read a letter sent by Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa regarding her plan to resign from her Cabinet post to run for governor in the 2018 East Java election.
“Yes, the letter arrived on my desk yesterday. I have read it,” said Jokowi as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.
However, the President said he could not yet decide on whether he would give Khofifah permission to run in the East Java gubernatorial race. He said he would soon summon her to discuss the matter.
“I have not yet met her. We should first meet. The letter is already there so we need to meet. Only after we meet can I make a decision,” said Jokowi.
For the East Java election, Khofifah is set to partner with Trenggalek regent Emil Dardak as her running mate. The governor and deputy governor candidate pair has been supported by the Democratic Party and the Golkar Party.
It has been predicted that Khofifah could become a tough rival for East Java deputy governor Saifullah Yusuf, who earlier declared he would run in the election on the National Awakening Party‘s (PKB) ticket.
Apart from Saifullah and Khofifah, the chairman of the East Java chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), La Nyalla Mattalitti, is another figure who reportedly plans to run for governor of East Java. (hol/ebf)
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