Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) will not declare support for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's reelection in the near future, a party executive has said.
PKB deputy secretary-general Daniel Johan said the party had yet to discuss which presidential candidate the Islamic party would support in the 2019 presidential election because it did not want to affect Jokowi's performance.
"[We want] the government to focus on its work. We want the government to focus on serving the people so that it will be successful," he said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.
Of the seven government coalition parties, only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the PKB, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have yet to decide whether to support Jokowi in 2019.
The Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the NasDem Party and the Hanura Party have all declared support for Jokowi's reelection.
Daniel gave assurances that the PKB would continue to support Jokowi's current administration until 2019. He said the PKB would rather prepare for the upcoming simultaneous 2018 regional elections.
Hanura declared support for Jokowi in the 2019 presidential election during its national leadership meeting in Bali on Aug. 4-5. The PPP declared its support in its national meeting last month. (ecn/bbs)