Indonesian President Joko Widodo and defeated presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto finally met for the first time since the April election and held a very friendly meeting, local media reported
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2019) Indonesian President Joko Widodo and defeated presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto finally met for the first time since the April election and held a very friendly meeting, local media reported.
According to the Straits Times newspaper, the politicians met at Lebak Bulus Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in South Jakarta and then boarded a train heading to Senayan MRT station in Central Jakarta. During their 18-minute long ride, they held a private conversation and thereafter the incumbent president told reporters that his meeting with the former rival was nothing but an encounter with a friend.
He also stressed that if it had not been for their busy schedules, the meeting could have happened earlier.
The opposition politician, in turn, said that he wanted to congratulate the Indonesian president on his victory because he believed in good manners.
Indonesia held the general election on April 17, when the nation elected the president, vice president and lawmakers. According to the vote results announced by the Indonesian General Elections Commission, the incumbent president secured 55 percent of the vote, while Prabowo received 45.5 percent. Supporters of the opposition rejected the vote's outcome and took to the streets. They subsequently engaged in clashes with police officers, who responded with tear gas.
In May, Prabowo, who is a former special forces commander, and ex-Deputy Governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno submitted a petition to the country's Constitutional Court, challenging the election results, which saw incumbent President Joko Widodo defeating the opposition due to alleged numerous frauds during the vote. Local media reported later that Prabowo and Uno failed to present enough evidence to prove their allegations.
