Amid News Of Megawati's 'White Hair' Announcement, The Palace Confirms Jokowi Will Return To Jakarta

President Joko Widodo accompanied by his grandson, Jan Ethes Srinarendra visited the Legi Market market, Surakarta City/ANTARA

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is confirmed to travel back to DKI Jakarta today amid the issue of the plan to announce a presidential candidate by the PDI-P today. Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Bey Machmudin stated that Jokowi returned to Jakarta to undergo an internal agenda, but did not explain further. "That's right, the President went to Jakarta for an internal agenda," Bey said in his statement to the media crew received in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, April 21. However, President Jokowi is certain to return to Surakarta, Central Java, on Friday afternoon to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with his family there as planned. "Sore will return to Solo, for Eid prayers and Eid with family tomorrow," said Bey. President Jokowi is known that since Wednesday (19/4) he has been in Surakarta to celebrate Lebaran 2023 with his family. In Surakarta, the President was only accompanied by very limited devices because the Head of State asked the Palace Staff to go home and Eid with his family. Jokowi's journey back to Jakarta coincided with the strengthening of the news of the plan to announce the presidential candidate by the PDI-P, where he became one of the party's cadres. Apart from Jokowi, it is known that Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo since Tuesday (18/4) has been in Jakarta, after releasing a number of free homecoming groups to Central Java. Meanwhile, PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto in a written statement on Friday (21/4) emphasized that the decision regarding his party's presidential candidate would be announced by General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri taking into account the right momentum. For information, the registration of presidential and vice presidential candidates is scheduled to open from 19 October 2023 to 25 November 2023. Based on Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections (UU Pemilu), pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates are proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the election who meet the requirements for obtaining seats of at least 20 percent of the total seats in the DPR or obtaining 25 percent of the nationally valid votes in the previous election for members of the DPR. Currently, there are 575 seats in parliament so that the pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election must have at least 115 seats in the DPR RI. It could also be that the candidate pairs are promoted by political parties or a combination of political parties participating in the 2019 Election with a total valid vote acquisition of at least 34,992,703 votes.