Former furniture salesman faces political struggle as he becomes first leader not born into country's elite.
Al-Jazeera - 20 Oct 2014
Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has been inaugurated as Indonesia's new
president, facing the challenges of rebooting a slowing economy and
working with a potentially hostile opposition that has already landed
some blows against him.
Widodo, the first Indonesian president not to come from the ranks of
the country's established political, business and military elite, took
the oath of office in a ceremony at the parliament in the capital,
Jakarta, attended by regional leaders and US Secretary of State John
Kerry.
A former furniture salesman, the 53-year-old Widodo rose from humble
beginnings to become Jakarta's governor before winning July's election
with 53 percent of the vote.
"This is the time for us to unite our hearts and hands, this is the
time for us ... to reach and realise an Indonesia that has political
sovereignty, economic independence and cultural character," he said in
his inaugural speech.
Thousands gathered on the streets of the capital, Jakarta, waving
flags and banners to celebrate the unprecedented ascent of the
small-town businessman to leader of the country with the world's biggest
Muslim population.
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