REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Incumbent President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was grateful to have constitutional law expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra as his and KH Ma'ruf Amin's lawyer in presidential election 2019. He explained that Yusril's decision was based upon request of the National Campaign Team (TKN) of the Indonesian Working Coalition (KIK) chief Erick Thohir.

"It's good, alhamdulillah (thank God). We asked him, Pak Erick asked him," Jokowi said after inaugurating the MRT Jakarta Depo in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on Tuesday.

Jokowi acknowledged Yusril as a professional and credible figure. Jokowi believed Yusril who is also the general chairman of Crescent Star Party (PBB) would be professional as he always did. "We know that he is professional," he reiterated.

Also read: Yusril takes the offer to be Jokowi-Ma'ruf attorney

Yusril was in Prabowo Subianto camp when filing a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court in presidential election 2014. He was also former lawyer for Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an organization that has been disbanded by the government.

Meanwhile, Yusril said Jokowi-Ma'ruf already have Legal and Defense Division in their team. As he stayed outside the structure of the team, Yusril reiterated that he was not an in-house lawyer.

"As a professional lawyer, I am not part of Pak Jokowi-Pak Kiai Ma'ruf team in winning the electon," he said on Monday.

Earlier, spokesperson of TKN KIK Irma Suryani Chaniago explained Yusril would immediately handle cases faced by the government camp in the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu). "He will handle cases related to violations of the presidential election," she said.

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