andung Mayor and West Java gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil and his family cast their ballots for regional leaders at a World Cup-themed polling booth in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday.
Ridwan came to Polling Station 22 in the subdistrict of Cibeunying Kaler wearing the Spanish national team’s jersey, while his wife Atalia Praratya wore the Portuguese jersey. Their eldest son, Emmiril Khan Mumtadz, wore the England jersey, kompas.com reported.
They were among 494 eligible voters registered at the polling booth.
The World Cup-themed polling station aimed to attract people to participate in the election. Members of the organizing committee at the booth were also seen wearing soccer jerseys from teams participating at the World Cup, and so did some voters showing up to cast their ballots.
“[The jerseys] are merely meant to enliven [the poll] and contribute to the station’s theme,” Ridwan, popularly known as Kang Emil, said after voting on Wednesday.
Ridwan and his running mate, Tasikmalaya Regent Uu Ruzhanul Ulum, backed by the Hanura Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the NasDem Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB), are one of four candidate pairs competing for West Java’s top posts.
A close race is expected between the Ridwan-Uu duo and the pair of West Java Deputy Governor Deddy Mizwar and Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi. According to several polls, those two pairs rank far above the other two candidate pairs.
After voting, Ridwan said he would inspect several polling stations in Bandung. When asked about the possible outcome of Wednesday’s election, he said, “[Our] fate is in God’s hands," as reported by Kompas TV. (afr/dmr)
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.