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40 world leaders congratulate Jokowi on reelection, says Retno
The foreign minister expects more congratulatory messages to arrive from around the world for the reelected president.
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Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (third right) appears with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (second right) at a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi (third left) on March 23, 2018 at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
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ndonesia's top diplomat has said that at least 40 world leaders and three international organizations have congratulated Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on winning the April 17 presidential election, following last week's announcement from the General Elections Commission (KPU) on the the official tally.
The incumbent and his running mate Ma’ruf Amin were declared the winners of the election after gaining 55.5 percent of the vote, beating rival pair Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno with a margin of nearly 11 percent. Jokowi is to be named the president-elect once the Constitutional Court has settled all legal challenges from the rival camp.
Read also: World leaders react to Jokowi's reelection
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the leaders of 40 countries and three international organizations had conveyed congratulatory messages.
"A number of heads of state congratulated the President upon the KPU's announcement," she told reporters on Monday, after a meeting with Jokowi at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, adding that many leaders had taken to social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube to offer their congratulations.
"But some countries used conventional diplomatic channels,” said Retno.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in were among the leaders who had called Jokowi to congratulate him.
Others sent their congratulations through their Twitter accounts and diplomatic cables, including United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Retno said she expected more congratulatory messages for the reelected President as diplomatic cables continued to arrive.
She also noted that world leaders had praised the free, fair and peaceful presidential and legislative elections.
