President Joko Widodo listens to a student speak on Nov 3, 2023 at the Nusantara Cultural Harmony Festival in Penajam Paser Utara regency, East Kalimantan. - Antara
JAKARTA: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Tuesday that he would retire from politics and return to his hometown of Surakarta, Central Java, after wrapping up his second term in October 2024.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Purworejo, also in Central Java, the President said he had no plans to continue leading a public life.
"I will return to being an ordinary citizen and go back to Solo," Jokowi said, referring to the city by its traditional name, which he served as a two-term mayor between 2005 and 2012.
Jokowi also shrugged off a reporter’s question about whether he planned to seek an international role, such as the United Nations secretary-general.
"Ordinary citizen and going back to Solo, that's all," he replied.
President Jokowi has repeatedly said that he has no plans to stay in Jakarta once his second and final term ends.
Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the president's eldest son and the current Surakarta mayor who is the running mate of Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, said during a Kompas TV talk show that aired in October last year that his father should go back home to Surakarta after his presidency ended.
Gibran also said the president should abide by the presidential limit of two terms, as set in the Constitution. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
