"I hope the rival pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates, their success teams, and supporters will honor the result of the election later," Yudhoyono said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed hope that competing candidates and their supporters will accept and honor the results of the election on July 9.

"I hope the rival pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates, their success teams, and supporters will honor the result of the election later," he said at a press conference after meeting with heads of high state institutions here on Monday.

To mass media, he meanwhile appealed to be polite and not provocative in their reporting.

He said the press should become part of the solution by reporting stories that help the situation remain conducive to support the process of democratization and in view of smooth and peaceful elections before.

President Yudhoyono admitted that the competition this time was very tight, and in view of that he hoped the press will not report false stories that could create tension and confusion, and stir the emotion of the public.

He said the election this year was also being observed by the international community, and so, it was very important that current peaceful condition could be maintained and supported by the whole community elements.

President Yudhoyono thanked the people who had successfully carried out the legislative elections on April 9 in an orderly and peaceful manner.

With regard to the upcoming presidential election, he called on the people to exercise their franchise to make the event successful.

The chairman of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), Sidarto Danusubroto, meanwhile said that all heads of high state institutions had appreciated the Constitution Court for its one round election ruling.

A total of 190,307,134 eligible voters have been registered by the KPU for the July 9, 2014, presidential election, comprising 188,268,423 voters in Indonesia and 2,038,711 overseas.

Of the total, 95,220,799 are male and 95,086,335 are female.

The Indonesian presidential election will be contested by two pairs: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla.

Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Jokowi is Jakartas governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), while his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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