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11/21/2024 10:31:42 pm

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Widodo Wins Elections, Indonesia’s Highest Court Unanimously Decides

Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla

(Photo : REUTERS/Darren Whiteside ) Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo (L) and his running mate Jusuf Kalla wave to the media at a press briefing in the garden of his home in Jakarta August 21, 2014.

Indonesia's constitutional court ruling upheld presidential election results, which determined Joko Widodo as the winner.

The court unanimously rejected presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's appeals to investigate questionable polling centers, reports said.

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Subianto accused the other team of manipulating the voting process during the presidential elections on July 9, 2014. He believes that about 52,000 polling stations that cast 21 million votes must be investigated.

However, all nine judges rejected Subianto's applications, Constitutional Court Chief Hamdan Zoelva said.

As they read out the decision on Thursday, Subianto's supporters became aggressive and the police had to fire water cannon and tear gas at them.

Since the court's decision cannot be appealed, Subianto's camp acknowledged the decision. However, the presidential candidate's spokesperson Tantowi Yayha said that the verdict "does not necessarily reflect the truth and substantive justice for the Indonesian people."

Yayha added that his team plans to monitor Widodo in the parliament.

Meanwhile, Widodo said that hostility did not exist between him and his rival. In response to the court's decision, he conveyed his team's appreciation of its work.

Widodo said he can now focus on his forthcoming office obligations. He will soon resign from his current post as Jakarta's governor and focus on the transition.

His meeting with outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration, held up by Subianto's appeal, will soon take place to discuss important economic concerns. Among these are budget deficits and the increasing subsidy costs. His team said they intend to start discussing the need to raise fuel prices before October.

Economist Eric Sugandi said that Widodo's priority in the discussions with the president should be economic policy. He added that the most urgent issue that he needs to address is "making room in the budget."

Widodo's inauguration as Indonesia's next president will take place in October.

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