RPTN Indonesian Presidential hopefuls' approval rates close in - Survey

According to results of the latest survey carried out by a pollster agency, Political Communication Institute (Polcomm), president and vice president hopefuls nominated by coalition of Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla gained a support rate of 46.4 per cent.

The pairing's apparent rival, Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Radjasa, who are nominated by coalition of Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, gained slightly below that figure at 43.3 per cent.

"Respondents who opted to vote Joko Widodo- Jusuf Kalla pairing thought that they are populist figures," a Polcomm researcher Afdhal Makkuraga Putra told a press conference here on Tuesday, adding that those respondents accounted for 9.3 per cent of total respondents who opted for the PDI-P's hopeful pairing.

He said the survey was carried out from June 16 to 20, involving 1,200 respondents in 33 provinces across the country.

Citing the results of the survey, Afdhal said 8.7 per cent of respondents opting Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla considered the pairing as honest, 8.2 per cent regarded them as humble figures and 6.1 per cent thought they were not committed corruption.

Meanwhile, those opting Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Radjasa based their considerations on firm image (8.3 per cent), smart (5.9 per cent), better programs (5.7 per cent), honest (4.3 per cent) and religious obedience (4.2 per cent).

The latest survey results showed decreasing favor rate for the governor of capital city Joko Widodo and former vice president Jusuf Kalla as the pairing gained 48 percent in the previous survey held last week by Indonesia Survey Circle (LSI).

Meanwhile, the ex-general Prabowo Subianto and former key economy minister Hatta Radjasa gained higher rate as the pairing gained 41 percent in LSI's survey.

The July 9 election would select the seventh Indonesian president.