REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BENGKULU -- Vice presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa on Wednesday visited Bengkulu Province, his hometown, as part of his campaign tour to southern Sumatra Island.
"Bengkulu is one of the five provinces located on southern Sumatra Island. I was born and grew up here, so as a presidential candidate, I must ask for the blessing of the public in my hometown," he said.
Bengkulu is a strategic province, politically and geographically, he remarked.
During the visit to Bengkulu, Hatta Rajasa went to a traditional market and later to M. Junus Hospital to meet patients and the hospital's staff.
He was accompanied by the deputy governor of Bengkulu and the mayor as well as the deputy mayor of Bengkulu municipality.
On July 9, 2014, the Indonesian people will again go to polling stations to cast their votes in the presidential election, which will be the third democratic election that the country will conduct since the start of political reforms in 1998.
The campaign period began on June 4 and will last until July 5, 2014.
The upcoming presidential election will be contested by only two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla (JK).
Prabowo Subianto is a retired military lieutenant general and the chairman of Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement) Party, while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Jokowi is the governor of Jakarta and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla (JK), is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
The Jokowi-JK pair is supported by five political parties: PDIP, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI), and the National Democratic Party (Nasdem).
The Prabowo-Hatta duo is supported by Gerindra, PAN, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Moon and Star Party (PBB), and the Golkar Party.
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