TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has congratulated Prabowo Subianto as elected President, saying there is no need for instruction for the new President.

"Mr. Prabowo already knows what is good for this country," Jokowi said on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

In the 2024 presidential election, Prabowo, who is currently the Minister of Defense, is paired with Jokowi's eldest son; Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Jokowi said he had also congratulated Gibran.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) declared Prabowo-Gibran the winner of the presidential election on Wednesday. The Onward Indonesia Coalition-backed pair Prabowo-Gibran won in 36 provinces out of a total of 38 provinces. Based on the vote recapitulation data, Prabowo-Gibran obtained 96,214,691 votes or 58.59 percent of the voters.

On Wednesday evening, Prabowo Subianto expressed gratitude toward the election results and called for unity despite differences in the election. He also expressed gratitude toward Jokowi.

"He (Jokowi) embraced and even encouraged me so that today I could receive a mandate from the people [as elected president]," Prabowo said. He said the strong economic foundation Jokowi had built allowed him to work faster.

Prabowo made it to the top despite allegations of past human rights abuses during his tenure in the military. He has repeatedly denied the allegations. The popularity of the four-star honorary general soared among young voters in this year’s election, especially on social media such as TikTok.

Jokowi's 36-year-old son would be the youngest vice president in the country, despite findings of ethical violations marring his candidacy. The Constitutional Court, led by Gibran’s uncle, made a last-minute rule change that ultimately paved the way for Gibran Rakabuming to run as a vice presidential candidate.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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