JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Thursday he had chosen 75-year-old Islamic cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate in next year’s presidential election.

Gerindra Party leader Prabowo Subianto waves to reporters as he arrives for a meeting with former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Yudhoyono's residence in Jakarta, Indonesia August 9, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja/via REUTERS

The two will be challenged by former general Prabowo Subianto and his vice presidential candidate pick, the deputy governor of Jakarta, Sandiaga Uno.

Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy and biggest Muslim-majority country, goes to the polls in April.

The contest, at least in terms of the presidential candidates, is shaping up as a repeat of the 2014 election, when political outsider Widodo defeated Prabowo, who has deep ties to Indonesia’s business and military elite.

Widodo is a popular moderate who has had mixed success with his reform agenda. Prabowo is a charismatic nationalist with strong links to Islamists who frequently rails against foreigners.

On a dramatic day of political maneuvering and intrigue, Widodo made a surprise decision to pick Amin, just hours after former chief justice Mahfud MD appeared to confirm he was the vice presidential choice of Widodo.

Amin is the influential head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), who issued a statement condemning Widodo’s political ally, the ethnic Chinese Christian former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, as a blasphemer for insulting the Koran in the middle of a heated Jakarta election campaign.

Prabowo’s candidate for Jakarta governor won the election, which analysts and rights advocates condemned for inflaming sectarian sentiment.

Amin had been a presidential adviser and had served in local and national legislatures in the past.

“Maybe there are questions from the people all over Indonesia why Professor Dr. Ma’ruf Amin was chosen. Because he is a wise religious figure,” said Widodo.

“I think we complete each other, nationalistic and religious.”

Related Coverage Prabowo Subianto says to run again for Indonesian president in 2019 election

But Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told Reuters Amin, as head of the MUI, had overseen a rise in religious intolerance across Indonesia, a pluralist country with significant minority communities.

“He issued fatwas condemning religious and gender minorities like the Ahmadiyah and LGBT individuals at a time they were subject to violent assaults,” he said.

DIVISIONS

“He also oversaw the creation of so-called religious harmony forums across the country. These forums replaced the principle of religious freedom, stoked divisions and favored the majority Sunni Muslim community.”

Prabowo said his candidacy was supported by three political parties, but left out the Democrat Party in his nomination speech in an apparent sign of rifts in the opposition coalition.

“It is not easy to build a coalition because many things have to be brought together,” Prabowo said.

The Democrat Party views the choice of Uno as a betrayal. Just last week, chairman of the party, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Prabowo’s Gerindra party announced an alliance.

Agus Yudhoyono, a 39-year-old retired soldier and the ex-president’s son, was expected to be the vice presidential candidate after the deal.

An hour before Prabowo’s near-midnight announcement, the Democrat party threatened to quit the coalition unless Prabowo went with the younger Yudhoyono or reconsidered his pick for running mate, party secretary general Andi Arief said on his Twitter account.

Arief had earlier tweeted a stream of derogatory comments about Prabowo.

Former investment banker Uno said he would work with Prabowo “to present a strong government ... build the economy and stabilize food prices”.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla speak with the media after holding a closed meeting at the Vice President's office, Jakarta, Indonesia August 9, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Wahyu Putro A/via REUTERS

Uno played a pivotal role plotting the campaign to oust then incumbent governor Purnama. After the victory, Uno said it was regrettable race and religion had dominated the campaign.

Gerindra’s deputy chairman Arief Poyuono said the Prabowo-Uno team would mean the opposition had candidates from both Java and outside Indonesia’s most populous island. Uno has roots in Gorontalo in Sulawesi.

Many Indonesians from outside Java resent Java’s political and economic dominance.</s>JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen 75-year-old cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate in next year's presidential election, he said on Thursday (Aug 9), in a sign he wants to bolster his Islamic credentials.

The two will likely be challenged by former general Prabowo Subianto.

On a dramatic day of political manoeuvring and intrigue, Jakarta's deputy governor, Sandiaga Uno, was identified as a "99 per cent" certainty by a senior official from Prabowo's Gerindra Party to be his running mate.

But Amin's elevation may prompt a re-think, said Yusuf Martak, a cleric from the National Movement for Guarding Ulemas Fatwas, an Islamist group counselling Prabowo.

Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy and biggest Muslim-majority country, goes to the polls in April.

The contest, at least in terms of the presidential candidates, is shaping up as a repeat of the 2014 election, when political outsider Widodo defeated Prabowo, who has deep ties to Indonesia's business and military elite.

Widodo is a popular moderate who has had mixed success with his reform agenda. Prabowo is a charismatic nationalist with strong links to Islamists who frequently rails against foreigners.

Amin was on a list of 10 possible candidates for Widodo but his selection came as a surprise, not least because former chief justice Mahfud MD appeared to confirm he was the vice presidential choice of Widodo only hours earlier.

Amin is the influential head of the Indonesian Ulema Council and issued a statement condemning Widodo's political ally, the ethnic Chinese Christian former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, as a blasphemer for insulting the Koran in the middle of a heated Jakarta election campaign.

Prabowo's candidate, Anies Baswedan, won the election, which analysts and rights advocates condemned for inflaming sectarian sentiment.

Amin has been a presidential adviser and has served in local and national legislatures in the past.

"Maybe there are questions from the people all over Indonesia why Professor Dr. Ma'ruf Amin was chosen. Because he is a wise religious figure," said Widodo.

"I think we complete each other, nationalistic and religious."

Arief Poyuono, the deputy chairman of Gerindra, told Reuters that Uno's elevation was a "99 per cent possibility". Asked what the 1 per cent doubt was, he replied "God".

But the proposed choice of Uno risks rupturing the opposition coalition.

A senior official from one opposition coalition party - deputy secretary general of the Democrat Party Andi Arief - described Prabowo as a "cardboard general" and a "chicken" in a stream of derogatory comments posted on social media on Wednesday night.

For the Democrat Party official, Uno's emergence was a betrayal. Just last week, the Democrat Party, chaired by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Prabowo's Gerindra party announced an alliance.

Agus Yudhoyono, a 39-year-old retired soldier and the former president's son, was expected to be the vice presidential candidate after the deal.

"I have had doubts for a long time whether (Prabowo's) voice matches his mentality. He is not a strong leader, he is a chicken," Arief tweeted.

Prabowo went to the elder Yudhoyono's home on Thursday. Leaving the meeting, Prabowo declined to discuss what transpired.

Asked when he would declare his candidacy and whether Uno would be his running mate, he said: "The process is ongoing. Relax."

Gerindra's secretary general, Ahmad Muzani, who accompanied Prabowo when meeting Yudhoyono, said the atmosphere during the meeting was friendly, although they did not come to a decision on who gets to be the vice presidential candidate.

Uno did not respond messages and calls from Reuters but local media quoted him saying on Thursday that he had not resigned as Jakarta deputy governor.

"I'm still on duty," he said, according to local news portal detik.com. "No resignation letter has been drafted."

Uno, a wealthy private equity tycoon, is a member of Gerindra and reportedly met Prabowo at his home on Wednesday.

He played a pivotal role plotting the campaign to oust then incumbent governor Purnama. After the victory, Uno said it was regrettable race and religion had dominated the campaign.

Gerindra's Poyuono said the Prabowo-Uno team would mean the opposition had candidates from both Java and outside Indonesia's most populous island. Uno has roots in Gorontalo in Sulawesi.

Many Indonesians from outside Java resent Java's political and economic dominance.</s>Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen a hardline Muslim cleric as his running mate in next year’s presidential election, hoping to improve his credentials among the country’s Islamic population.

“The meeting between Jokowi and other party leaders and secretaries-general decided to name Ma’ruf Amin as Jokowi’s running mate,” Widodo’s PKB party secretary-general Abdul Kadir Karding said on Twitter on Thursday.

Ma’ruf Amin, who was chosen from a list of 10 possible candidates, came as a surprise choice to many after former chief justice Mahfud MD claimed he was selected as Widodo’s vice presidential choice just hours earlier.

“Maybe there are questions from the people all over Indonesia why Professor Dr. Ma’ruf Amin was chosen. Because he is a wise religious figure,” said Widodo. “I think we complete each other, nationalistic and religious.”

Amin, who is the leader of the influential Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s top Muslim clerical body that unites many Muslim organizations, has previously worked as a presidential adviser and has served in local and national legislatures in the past.

However, some human rights campaigners claim that Amin is a religious extremist who preaches discrimination against homosexuals and the enforcement of blasphemy laws.

“He issued fatwas condemning religious and gender minorities like the Ahmadiyah and LGBT individuals at a time they were subject to violent assaults,” Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told Reuters.

“He also oversaw the creation of so-called religious harmony forums across the country,” Harsono added. “These forums replaced the principle of religious freedom, stoked divisions and favored the majority Sunni Muslim community.”

As noted by the Jakarta Post, Amin has previously “supported controversial regulations, including the Pornography Law and the joint ministerial decree banning the activities of minority group Ahmadiyah, saying in 2013 that such regulations were ‘very much expected.'”

Amin’s selection will cause concern among those opposed to Indonesia’s increasingly brutal approach to enforcing Sharia Law, with Indonesia still the world’s largest Islamic country and the world’s third largest democracy. Multiple public figures, including Governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, have been found guilty of violating Islamic blasphemy laws.

The country’s presidential election will take place in April of next year. The only other declared candidate thus far is Prabowo Subianto, a businessman, politician, and former Lieutenant General of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.</s>JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen 75-year-old cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate in next year’s presidential election, he said on Thursday, in a sign he wants to bolster his Islamic credentials.

The two will likely be challenged by former general Prabowo Subianto. On a dramatic day of political manoeuvring and intrigue, Jakarta’s deputy governor, Sandiaga Uno, was identified as a “99 per cent” certainty by a senior official from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party to be his running mate.

But Amin’s elevation may prompt a re-think, said Yusuf Martak, a cleric from the National Movement for Guarding Ulemas Fatwas, an Islamist group counselling Prabowo. Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy and biggest Muslim-majority country, goes to the polls in April.

The contest, at least in terms of the presidential candidates, is shaping up as a repeat of the 2014 election, when political outsider Widodo defeated Prabowo, who has deep ties to Indonesia’s business and military elite. Widodo is a popular moderate who has had mixed success with his reform agenda. Prabowo is a charismatic nationalist with strong links to Islamists who frequently rails against foreigners.</s>JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen Ma’ruf Amin, the head of Indonesian Ulema Council, as his running mate for the 2019 election, he told a press conference on Thursday.

Amin, 75, is “a wise religious figure”, Widodo said when describing his pick, adding that all nine parties in his coalition agreed with him.

Widodo and Amin will formally register to the election commission on Friday. The Ulema Council is Indonesia’s top Muslim clerical body.</s>Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen a conservative Muslim cleric who has railed against homosexuality and once issued a fatwa against secularism as his running mate for next year's election.

Razor wire, along with dozens of police and secret service officers, held back jubilant crowds, as President "Jokowi" officially registered as a candidate for re-election.

His pick for Vice-President, Ma'ruf Amin, is chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the nation's top Muslim clerical body.

In 2005, Mr Amin was the key figure behind a fatwa, or religious order, that declared liberalism, pluralism and secularism as against the rule of Islam.

"That had a really major impact on progressive Muslims who were trying to bring about a more tolerant and pluralistic form of Islam," said Associate Professor Greg Fealey from the Australian National University.

Associate Professor Fealey said Mr Amin would provide a "political shield" to Jokowi, who is sometimes accused of not being religious enough.

The most prominent of those campaigns was mass protests against Jakarta's popular governor Basuki "Ahok" Purnama in 2016, over questionable accusations he committed blasphemy, which is illegal in Indonesia.

"[Amin] issued an opinion to say that that Ahok had been guilty of blasphemy and the government should take action against him," Associate Professor Fealey said.

"The moment that opinion was released, that really saw huge mobilisation within the conservative Islamic community against the governor."

Next year's election will be a re-run of the 2014 presidential poll, with former military strongman Prabowo Subianto declaring his candidacy once again.

Mr Prabowo, who was discharged from the military over allegations of torture by his men, has chosen Jakarta's wealthy Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno as his vice-presidential running mate.

"We will fight for all Indonesian people, whatever their religion, whatever the tribe, whatever the ethnicity, whatever the race," Mr Prabowo said after officially registering his ticket.

This is Prabowo's fourth run at the presidency and is widely expected to be his last chance.</s>JAKARTA - Indonesia President Joko Widodo on Thursday (Aug 9) picked cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate for next year's presidential elections, in a surprising move that is seen as an attempt to bolster his Islamic credentials.

Ma'ruf Amin, 75, chairman of the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI), will run as the vice-presidential candidate in the April 17 polls, where Mr Joko is expected to face former general Prabowo Subianto in an election to lead South-east Asia's biggest economy.

Mr Joko made the decision after meeting leaders of his nine coalition parties.

He said his decision followed deep contemplation and suggestions from various groups as well as approval from party leaders.

"Maybe there are questions from the people all over Indonesia why Professor Dr Ma'ruf Amin was chosen. Because he is a wise religious figure," said Mr Joko.

"We complement each other, representing nationalist and religious figures," he said.

Mr Joko's decision ended months of speculation about who would be his V-P candidate. Just hours before the announcement, there was heavy speculation that the president would pick former Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD.

Apart from his key role in MUI, Mr Ma'ruf is the supreme leader of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation Nahdlatul Ulama and has a track record as a regional legislator and lawmaker. He was a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, or MPR, and the Presidential Advisory Board.

He is a graduate of Bogor-based Ibnu Khaldun University,

However, Mr Ma'ruf and MUI have also played other roles in politics that are not without controversy.

One example quoted by his critics is the MUI statement that condemned former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama - an ethnic Chinese Christian who was an ally of Mr Joko - as a blasphemer for insulting Islam's holy book the Quran in the Jakarta gubernatorial election last year.

The Islamic cleric began to weave a closer relationship with Mr Joko after the massive demonstration against Mr Basuki in early November last year, according to local media reports.

There are worries in Indonesia that the tensions seen in the Jakarta election last year, which was marred by the fanning of racial and religious issues largely incited by hardline groups, will be repeated at the 2019 presidential race, which could threaten the re-election of Mr Joko.

Analysts have said that Mr Joko may need a strong Islamic figure as a running mate not only to counter his rivals who may use these religious issues, but also to lure voters in conservative strongholds in Indonesia's most-populated island of Java.

In 2014 election campaign that Mr Joko eventually won, he was hit by an online smear campaign that his family was communist and he is of Chinese descent.

With the announcement by Mr Joko’s camp, all eyes are now on his contender, Mr Prabowo, who had been anticipated to declare his running mate on Thursday.

Candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency must submit their nomination by Friday (Aug 10).

A senior Gerindra party official said Jakarta’s deputy governor Sandiaga Uno is “99 per cent” certain to become Mr Prabowo’s pick, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Arya Fernandes, a political analyst from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told The Straits Times that Mr Joko’s decision on Mr Ma’ruf reveals his willingness to accommodate interests of various political parties and compromise.

However, the move closes the possibility of the establishment of the third axis in the next polls, he added.

Mr Arya further said that after solving the Muslim vote issue, the equally-tough challenge will emerge if Mr Prabowo chose Mr Sandiaga, who represents a young leader, as youth voters might be attracted to the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair.</s>JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chosen 75-year-old Islamic cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate in next year’s presidential election in a bid to bolster his religious credentials, he said on Thursday.

The two will likely be challenged by former general Prabowo Subianto.

On a dramatic day of political maneuvering and intrigue, Jakarta’s deputy governor, Sandiaga Uno, was identified as a “99 per cent” certainty by a senior official from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party to be his running mate.

But Amin’s elevation may prompt a re-think, said Yusuf Martak, a cleric from the National Movement for Guarding Ulemas Fatwas, an Islamist group counseling Prabowo.

Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy and biggest Muslim-majority country, goes to the polls in April.

The contest, at least in terms of the presidential candidates, is shaping up as a repeat of the 2014 election, when political outsider Widodo defeated Prabowo, who has deep ties to Indonesia’s business and military elite.

Widodo is a popular moderate who has had mixed success with his reform agenda. Prabowo is a charismatic nationalist with strong links to Islamists who frequently rails against foreigners.

Amin was on a list of 10 possible candidates for Widodo but his selection came as a surprise, not least because former chief justice Mahfud MD appeared to confirm he was the vice presidential choice of Widodo only hours earlier.

Amin is the influential head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), who issued a statement condemning Widodo’s political ally, the ethnic Chinese Christian former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, as a blasphemer for insulting the Koran in the middle of a heated Jakarta election campaign.

Prabowo’s candidate, Anies Baswedan, won the election, which analysts and rights advocates condemned for inflaming sectarian sentiment.

Amin has been a presidential adviser and has served in local and national legislatures in the past.

“Maybe there are questions from the people all over Indonesia why Professor Dr. Ma’ruf Amin was chosen. Because he is a wise religious figure,” said Widodo.

“I think we complete each other, nationalistic and religious.”

But Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told Reuters Amin, ash head of the MUI, had overseen a rise in religious intolerance across Indonesia, a pluralist country with significant minority communities.

“He issued fatwas condemning religious and gender minorities like the Ahmadiyah and LGBT individuals at a time they were subject to violent assaults,” he said.

“He also oversaw the creation of so-called religious harmony forums across the country. These forums replaced the principle of religious freedom, stoked divisions and favored the majority Sunni Muslim community.”

Arief Poyuono, the deputy chairman of Gerindra, told Reuters that Uno’s elevation was a “99 per cent possibility”. Asked what the 1 per cent doubt was, he replied “God”.

But the proposed choice of Uno risks rupturing the opposition coalition.

A senior official from one opposition coalition party - deputy secretary general of the Democrat Party Andi Arief - described Prabowo as a “cardboard general” and a “chicken” in a stream of derogatory comments posted on social media on Wednesday night.

For the Democrat Party official, Uno’s emergence was a betrayal. Just last week, the Democrat Party, chaired by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Prabowo’s Gerindra party announced an alliance.

Agus Yudhoyono, a 39-year-old retired soldier and the former president’s son, was expected to be the vice presidential candidate after the deal.

“I have had doubts for a long time whether (Prabowo’s) voice matches his mentality. He is not a strong leader, he is a chicken,” Arief tweeted.

Prabowo went to the elder Yudhoyono’s home on Thursday. Leaving the meeting, Prabowo declined to discuss what transpired.

Asked when he would declare his candidacy and whether Uno would be his running mate, he said: “The process is ongoing. Relax.”

Prabowo is expected to announce his vice presidential candidate on Thursday night at his home, where Uno was ensconced.

Uno played a pivotal role plotting the campaign to oust then incumbent governor Purnama. After the victory, Uno said it was regrettable race and religion had dominated the campaign.

Gerindra’s Poyuono said the Prabowo-Uno team would mean the opposition had candidates from both Java and outside Indonesia’s most populous island. Uno has roots in Gorontalo in Sulawesi.

Many Indonesians from outside Java resent Java’s political and economic dominance.</s>Indonesia's President Joko Widodo officially appointed Ma'ruf Amin his vice-presidential candidate to run alongside him in the 2019 presidential election.

"I have decided, after being approved by the parties’ coalition, that my vice president candidate for 2019-2024 is Prof. Dr. Ma'ruf Amin," the president told a news conference Thursday with the chairman and secretary general of the governing coalition.

Joko Widodo said that he chose 75-year-old Ma'ruf for his experience as a prominent cleric and lawmaker.

Ma'ruf has served as the chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) and Advisory Leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim organization.</s>President Joko Widodo has now played his part in making this one of the most surprising days in modern Indonesian politics by choosing a running mate for next year’s election that very few predicted he would, even in the minutes leading up to his announcement.

At a press conference this evening at a restaurant in Menteng, Jokowi announced that his running mate would be Ma’ruf Amin, the current head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s highest Islamic clerical body.

“I have decided to run again as a presidential candidate for the 2019-2024 period. This decision is a big responsibility, closely related to the aspirations and dreams of Indonesia to maintain its advancement in development and justice for all,” Jokowi said at the press conference.

“Taking into account the input from various elements of the community, I have decided and received the approval of Koalisi Indonesia Kerja (the new name for Jokowi’s political coalition) that the person who will accompany me as vice president from 2019-2024 is Professor Ma’ruf Amin,” Jokowi said at the meeting.

Ma’ruf Amin is one of the most respected Islamic scholars in Indonesia and currently serves as the head of MUI as well as the chairman of the advisory council of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s largest Islamic organization.

In recent discussions about potential running mates for Joko Widodo, Ma’ruf was rarely considered a real possibility. What makes the announcement especially shocking is that almost every other news story from today prior to Jokowi’s announcement indicated that he would be picking a totally different running mate — former constitutional court judge Mahfud MD.

In fact, Mahfud MD even told the media today that Jokowi had asked him just this morning to be his vice president. He said he had been asked to be on standby since last night and was asked by the president personally today. He also submitted the documents necessary to complete the formal registration process with the Sleman District Court even said he had gotten a new white shirt tailored for the occasion.

So what gives? Did Jokowi really ask Mahfud MD to be his running mate just this morning only to suddenly have a change of heart? At this moment it’s unclear, but another possibility (one that is purely our own speculation at this point) is that this was some sort of ruse designed to fool Jokowi’s most likely challenger in the 2019 election, Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto, into making a bad decision regarding his own .running mate and coalition.

If that was in fact the plan, then it may have worked very well indeed. Prabowo and his coalition were thrown into utter chaos yesterday night after a senior Democratic Party official accused Jakarta Vice Governor Sandiaga Uno had paid two parties close to Gerindra, PAN and PKS, IDR 500 billion (US$35 million) each to be made Prabowo’s running mate.

The explosive allegation led to rancorous infighting among Prabowo’s potential coalition partners, with PAN and PKS fiercely denying the dowry allegation. However, Gerindra officials have indeed indicated that Sandiaga is all but certain to be named Prabowo’s running mate. An official announcement is still expected to be made tonight. The deadline for presidential candidates competing in next year’s election to register is tomorrow.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo chooses the Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate in the upcoming presidential election.