Jakarta – Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo maintains confidence in winning the February 14 election during a massive rally in Semarang, Central Java on Saturday, which concluded the campaign season over the last 75 days.
His statement came despite most recent polls ranking him the last in the three-person race against frontrunner Prabowo Subianto and former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
"After witnessing what happened today in Central Java, we will achieve an absolute victory, God willing!" Ganjar addressed tens of thousands of supporters. "This place is the stronghold of the bulls that will lead us to victory."
Ganjar referred to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which supports his presidential bid. The party carries the bull as its symbol and has traditionally secured landslide victories in legislative elections in certain provinces like Central Java and Bali.
During the final rally at Pancasila Square in the Central Java capital, Ganjar expressed gratitude to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for "refraining from participating in campaign rallies".
Jokowi, formerly a PDIP executive and two-term president with the party's nomination, has maintained impartiality in the current election, where his son is running as a vice-presidential candidate alongside Prabowo.
Earlier in the day, Ganjar and running mate Mohammad Mahfud MD attended a massive rally in Solo, sharing the stage with PDIP Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and her daughter, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani.
"Don't easily give your vote just because you receive donations like 10 kilograms of rice, which might have been procured using state money. This election is a process to elect the right leader," Megawati told rally-goers at the Vastenburg Fort in Solo. "Rice and other supplies are just a bait to attract voters, so don't fall into them easily."
[Wijayanti Putri contributed to this report.]