This was higher than the 63 percent of votes he got at the 2014 Presidential Elections, he told several thousand supporters who attended his open campaign here on Thursday.
Despite heavy rainfall, the crowds did not leave the venue. "Seeing your enthusiasm, I want to gain 75 percent of votes in Tegal District and its surrounding areas. Those who agree, please raise your thumbs!" said Jokowi, who will be challenged by a tough contender, Prabowo Subianto, at the upcoming elections.
Jokowi urged his loyalists to avoid paying heed to rumors, fake news, and slander ahead of the parliamentary and presidential elections held simultaneously on April 17.
As part of the 2019 presidential elections, the General Elections Commission (KPU) has allowed the two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates to conduct open campaign trails from March 24 to April 13.
Besides the trails, the KPU will also organize five rounds of presidential debates.
The first and second presidential debates were held on January 17 and February 17, 2019, respectively, during which the two presidential candidates shared their views and perspectives on issues pertaining to law, corruption, terrorism, the environment, and infrastructure.
The third debate, organized on March 17, drew focus on educational, employment, health, as well as social and cultural issues, while the fourth debate was held on March 30, during which Jokowi and Prabowo debated over issues pertaining to security and defense, administration, ideology, and international relations.
The presidential debates and open campaigns are expected to offer a clear picture of the capacity and capability of the two pairs to some 192 million eligible voters.
With sufficient information that the eligible voters obtain from the debates and open campaign trails, they are expected to be able to cast their votes rationally.
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Translator: Agus Salim, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
