Indonesian President Joko Widodo picked Ma’ruf Amin, the head of the nation’s influential clerics’ council, as his running mate for next year’s election, ending months of speculation and lobbying from coalition partners.
Amin was chosen for his vast experience in religious and political affairs, Widodo, known as Jokowi, told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. The duo will file their nominations at the General Elections Commission on Friday.
Widodo is bidding for a second term in what is likely to be a rerun of the 2014 race in which he defeated Prabowo Subianto, who leads Indonesia’s main opposition party Gerindra. While the nominations closed on Friday, official campaigning will begin in September with voting scheduled for April 17. Subianto has yet to announce who he will pair with in the polls.
Jokowi has gained endorsements from at least six major parties, including his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and former ruling party Golkar. The 57-year-old has worked hard at maintaining an image as the “people’s president” that helped catapult him to the top job. His alliance also controls more than 60 percent of parliament.
Indonesia’s economy has expanded at about 5 percent under Jokowi with the unemployment rate falling to a two-decade low. The president has also been praised for a massive infrastructure program and reform agenda that’s helped secure sovereign rating upgrades and much-needed investment.
Amin is an Islamic scholar and heads the Indonesian Ulema Council. He is also the chairman of the advisory council of Nahdlatul Ulama, often referred to as the world’s largest Islamic organization with about 140 million members.