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World leaders laud RI election
The 2019 election has been widely seen as a litmus test for democracy in Indonesia amid concerns about the rising influence of conservative political Islam.
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Thousands of supporters of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, including many volunteers, gather at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday to attend the final rally in the incumbent's re-election campaign. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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ongratulatory messages from world leaders have begun to trickle in following the successful hosting of one of the world’s most complex elections, the results of which analysts consider a beacon of hope for democracy in a region entrenched with the rule of strongmen.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo secured a second term in the country’s first-ever simultaneous elections on Wednesday, according to quick count results from credible pollsters.
Despite official results from the General Elections Commission (KPU) still a month away and challenger Prabowo Subianto’s pledge to dispute the results over alleged voter fraud, dozens of world leaders called in to congratulate Jokowi for the successful elections.
“From noon to late afternoon, I received calls from Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Jokowi told a press conference on Thursday.
“Ten other [state leaders] have expressed congratulations for this big celebration of democracy in our country — they congratulate all Indonesians, as well as Jokowi and Ma’ruf [Amin] for the success of the general election on April 17.”
The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta confirmed there had been communication between the two leaders on Thursday afternoon before Jokowi’s press conference.
According to the Singaporean Prime Minister’s Office, Lee said he looked forward to continued close cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia, The Straits Times reported.
