A01493 - Joko Widodo, Seventh President of Indonesia

Joko Widodo (b. Mulyono, June 21, 1961, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia), popularly known as Jokowi.  An Indonesian politician and businessman who became the 7th President of Indonesia. A member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan -- PDI-P), he was the country's first president to not have emerged from the country's political or military elite. He previously served as governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014 and mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012.

Widodo was born and raised in a riverside slum in Surakarta. He graduated from Gadjah Mada University in 1985, and married his wife, Iriana, a year later. He worked as a carpenter and a furniture exporter before being elected mayor of Surakarta in 2005.  He achieved national prominence as mayor and was elected governor of Jakarta in 2012, with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama as his deputy. 

As governor, Widodo reinvigorated local politics, introduced publicized blusukan visits (unannounced spot checks) and improved the city's bureaucracy, reducing corruption in the process. He also introduced years-late programs to improve quality of life, including universal healthcare, dredged the city's main river to reduce flooding, and inaugurated the construction of the city's subway system. 

In 2014, Widodo was nominated as the PDI-P's candidate in that year's presidential election, choosing Jusuf Kalla as his running mate. Widodo was elected over his opponent Prabowo Subianto, who disputed the outcome of the election. Widodo was inaugurated on October 20, 2014. Since taking office, Widodo has focused on economic growth and infrastructure development as well as an ambitious health and education agenda. On foreign policy, his administration has emphasized protecting Indonesia's sovereignty, with the sinking of illegal foreign fishing vessels and the prioritizing and scheduling of capital punishment for drug smugglers. The latter was despite intense representations and diplomatic protests from foreign powers, including Australia and France. He was re-elected in 2019 for a second five-year term, again defeating Prabowo Subianto.