Jokowi Claims Ma'ruf Amin Boosts Electability
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28 December 2018 16:47 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he discussed poll results with his running-mate, Ma’ruf Amin, during a meeting at Rumah Situbondo in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Friday, December 28, 2018.
“Yes, we touched on the poll results,” the president said.
Jokowi stopped short of detailing the discussion, but dismissed claims that Ma’ruf Amin’s low popularity had failed to jack up the pair’s electability rate.
“It [Ma’ruf popularity] jacks us up. Who said it did not? The poll results revealed so,” he said.
Read: Ma'ruf Amin`s Popularity Affecting Jokowi`s Chances in Banten
Earlier reports said the pair was tirelessly canvassing for their election in Banten following the results of its internal survey, which showed that Ma’ruf Amin could not yet boost the pair’s electability in the province.
Banten has been known as a basis of Prabowo Subianto’s supporters. During the 2014 presidential race, Prabowo, who then paired with Hatta Radjasa, garnered 57.1 percent of the total vote. The Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla ticket, meanwhile, secured 42.9 percent of the total vote.
The number of eligible voters in Banten in next year’s presidential election reaches 8.1 million—up by 200,000 voters from 2014.
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