All 3 candidates approved for Indonesia’s presidential election in February

By EDNA TARIGAN and FADLAN SYAM
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Election Commission has approved all three presidential candidates for next February’s election, including a former special forces general whose running mate is the son of the outgoing president. The commission said all of the candidates had passed the legal requirements. Last month, the Constitutional Court allowed President Joko Widodo’s 36-year-old son to be a vice presidential candidate despite not meeting the minimum age requirement of 40. Pro-democracy activists criticized the decision as nepotism. Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, is holding both presidential and legislative elections in February. The 75-day election campaign will begin on Nov. 28 and include five presidential debates.