Prabowo-Hatta Pair Reports Black Campaigns to Election Watchdog

Jakarta (Antara) - A team of lawyers representing the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential and vice presidential pair has reported black campaigns against the duo to the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu). "The most distressing black campaigns are those related to the 1998 abduction and riot. These are recycled slanders, which frequently appear on social media," spokesman of the duo's team of lawyers Habiburokhman stated in a press release on Monday. Habib said Prabowo has become a target of three types of slanders. "There are at least three types of black campaigns against Prabowo. We want Bawaslu to take firm measures," he added. One of the slanders is about the alleged involvement of Prabowo in the 1998 abduction and riot, he noted. The alleged involvement of the former commander of the Army's elite force (Koppasus) in the cases was a recycled issue, which was raised when Prabowo was nominated as a presidential candidate, he added. The second slander was related to an allegation that Prabowo applied for Jordanian citizenship in 1999. The slander carried in twitter account @partaisocmed was based on an unilateral assumption without any proof, he remarked. (*) Reporting by Anom Prihantoro