Yeremia Sukoyo, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto, the losing candidate in the April 17 presidential election, has repeated a call on his supporters to stand down and practice the utmost restraint ahead of a Constitutional Court hearing on his dispute of the result.

"We believe in the judges. Whatever decision we take, as adults, calmly, by thinking always about the interests of the nation and the state," Prabowo said in a video recording on Tuesday, telling his supporters not to gather at the court.

He made the announcement just hours after police revealed the results of a preliminary investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate four top government officials and the head of a prominent polling agency as part of a scheme to turn mass protests into widespread chaos.

Some of the alleged plotters are known as avid Prabowo supporters, but his campaign team has denied any involvement in the plot.

Prabowo met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla last week and promised that his key supporters would refrain from organizing mass street protests.

The most recent protests by Prabowo supporters on May 21-22 ended in violent clashes with police and the deaths of at least eight people. Several hundred were injured.

The government expressed concern that online agitation could pick up during the court hearings and push Prabowo supporters to take to the streets again.

The legal team for Prabowo and his running mate Sandiaga Uno filed their dispute of the election result in the Constitutional Court on May 24.

The court said on Tuesday that the case registration process had been completed as Prabowo's team had submitted all the required documents. The case is now ready for trial and the court is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the case on Friday. A verdict is expected by June 28.

"We really don't want any riots in this country. The resolution for the problems of the nation and the state we want is not like that," Prabowo said.

He requested all his supporters to remain calm and maintain kinship with fellow citizens.

"I, together with Sandiaga Uno, hope all of our supporters will always be calm, always cool and always have good views and maintain a sense of brotherhood and family spirit among all the nation's children," the former Army general said.

However, the police will not take any chances. Jakarta Police spokesman Chief Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono said 48,000 personnel are ready to secure the area around the Constitutional Court building in Central Jakarta.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/context/prabowo-repeats-call-on-supporters-to-exercise-restraint