TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto apologized to his rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo in his closing statement during the final presidential debate on February 4, 2024.

“On behalf of Prabowo-Gibran [campaign team] and the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM), I apologize to candidate pair 1 Pak Anies and Pak Muhaimin and candidate pair 3 Pak Ganjar and Pak Mahfud for any offensive words or conduct during the campaign,” he said in the televised debate last night.

Prabowo, who was accompanied by his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, said that the election campaign was often carried out with enthusiasm, and sometimes strong words were uttered. However, he claimed that there was goodwill behind it.

“We have engaged in campaign rallies with great enthusiasm over the past few months, sometimes led to rivalries and [the use of] strong words, but we have goodwill,” the Defense Minister said, expressing his belief that all three candidates want the best for Indonesia.

Standing next to Prabowo, Gibran made a gesture of apology.

Furthermore, Prabowo apologized to the General Elections Commission (KPU) for any conduct that did not follow the 2024 Election rules. “We want to do our best and always strive for the best,” he said.

Additionally, he emphasized that building and upholding harmony is the most crucial thing and considered his rivals Anies-Cak Imin and Ganjar-Mahfud Md as his brothers. “We are fighting for the Indonesian people, we are fighting because we love the Indonesian people,” Prabowo said.

The final presidential debate concluded last night at the Jakarta Convention Center, with the voting day scheduled for February 14, 2024.

MELYNDA DWI PUSPITA | ANDIKA DWI

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News