TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Confederation of Labor Unions (KSPI) in a national working meeting on Sunday unanimously decided to vote for Prabowo Subianto in the forthcoming presidential election. Prabowo is the most potential rival of incumbent President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to win the presidential election in April next year.

"So far only Prabowo Subianto is committed to meeting the people's and workers' demands. Therefore, KSPI members would vote for Prabowo in his presidential bid in 2019," KSPI President Said Iqbal said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Read also: Prabowo Inaugurates Gerindra-PKS Co-Secretarial Office

The decision was taken after all representatives of labor unions affiliated to KSPI and participant of the meeting spoke in favor of Subianto to be the country's next president.

However, almost all polling held so far showed that Jokowi led over all potential contenders.

KSPI also took side with Prabowo in the 2014 elections when the founder and general chairman of Gerindra party lost to Jokowi. Iqbal said Prabowo pledged to implement KSPI's 10-point proposal put forward in a political contract.

He said the support for Prabowo would be declared in the Senayan Sport Gymnasium on May 1, 2018 to coincide with the Labor Day to be attended by tens of thousands of workers.

KSPI also recommends nomination of economist Rizal Ramli as the running mate for Prabowo. The former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs is the right man to be the vice presidential candidate, Iqbal said.

ANTARA