A Child of the Slum Rises as President of Indonesia
By JOE COCHRANE JULY 22, 2014
World News • July 2014 • Views: 294
Joko Widodo, the governor of Jakarta whose common touch has made him a political phenomenon, was declared the winner of Indonesia’s presidential election on Tuesday, completing an improbable ascent from child of the slums to leader of the world’s fourth-most populous nation.
But the announcement, while widely expected, did not end a simmering controversy. His opponent, Prabowo Subianto, a retired army general, rejected the results as fraudulent and said he was withdrawing from the race.