Jokowi to Start Campaign in Papua

Jakarta (Antara) - Presidential candidate Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will campaign in Papua on the first day of campaigning on Wednesday, the secretary general of the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), Tjahjo Kumolo, said here on Tuesday. PDIP together with the National Democrat Party (Nasdem), the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI) supports Jokowi, who is also a PDIP cadre, in the election scheduled on July 9. "Jokowi will conduct the campaign by reaching out to the people like what he has so far done," he said. Jokowi's running mate, Jusuf Kalla, meanwhile, will campaign in the Sumatran province of Aceh. "Later they will meet in the middle or in the Java island," Tjahjo said. Based on the General Election Commission regulation, the presidential and vice presidential candidates will declare their commitment to peaceful campaigns on June 3, after they have received the election sequence number. Meanwhile, the campaign period has been set from June 4 to July 5. Presidential and vice presidential candidates are scheduled to attend debates, which will be conducted five times, consisting of two presidential debates, two vice presidential debates and one presidential and vice presidential debate. Jokowi will compete against Prabowo Subianto in the election. Prabowo, who is a former military leader, pairs with the former chief economic minister Hatta Rajasa. The Prabowo-Hatta pair is supported by six political parties: the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Moon and Star Party (PBB). The only party left, the Democrat Party, meanwhile, has stated it will remain neutral in the election and let its cadres to make their own choices. (*) Reporting by Hanni Sofia