Jokowi submits resignation letter

JAKARTA. Governor and president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Wednesday that he had submitted his resignation letter to the City Council so that he could become president on Oct. 20.

Jokowi said it had been a while since he had sent the letter to the council, adding that the council would later deliberate on his resignation in a plenary session. “I sent the letter last week, I forget the date. You can check with the City Council,” he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He added, however, that the process was suspended until the newly-formed council’s organizational structure, including its leadership, had been formed. “They will hold the plenary session after the establishment of the council’s structure is completed,” he said.

Separately, City Council secretary Mangara Pardede said he had not received the letter. “The letter has not arrived at the council secretariat and I have yet to be informed if the council’s leadership has received the resignation letter,” he said.

According to Mangara, Jokowi’s resignation should be decided through a plenary session that cannot be presided over by temporary council leadership. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to give his approval only after the City Council accepts Jokowi’s resignation.