(Bloomberg) — Indonesia’s vice presidential hopeful Mahfud MD said he plans to quit his role as a senior minister, less than a month away from elections to prevent any conflict of interest.
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Mahfud, who is the running mate of former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo in the Feb. 14 elections said he’s just waiting for the right time to submit his resignation.
His decision follows Ganjar’s call for candidates to relieve their government roles to avoid the abuse of power to boost their bid. There is no requirement to do so under current regulations issued by President Joko Widodo, whose eldest son is also contesting as Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto’s running mate.
Some 204 million Indonesians will cast their ballots next month to elect a new leader to succeed Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, who will wrap up his second and last five-year term in October.
Jokowi said that he respects Mahfud’s stance, but reminded that the rules allow even the president himself to support a candidate and take part in a political campaign.
“Every one has democratic rights, as well as political rights,” he told reporters during a visit with Prabowo to Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta. “But the most important thing is not to use state facilities during the campaign.”
Calls for election candidates to resign mounted in recent weeks amid concern some officials and institutions are backing a particular candidate at official occasions. This is despite an earlier call by Jokowi that the government, as well as military and police forces must remain neutral.
–With assistance from Faris Mokhtar and Chandra Asmara.
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