JAKARTA, Indonesia — Dozens of Indonesians who served jail time for corruption are running for public office, the electoral agency said Thursday, as the world's third-largest democracy gears up for national polls. The 49 candidates belong to more than half of the 16 political parties contesting April elections, including President Joko Widodo's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Half a dozen represent Gerindra, a party lead by former military general Prabowo Subianto, who is challenging Widodo for Indonesia's top job, according to the General Elections Commission. "We hope the public can use this information" to avoid electing corruption candidates, Donal Fairz from Indonesian Corruption Watch told AFP. In 2018, ex-parliamentary speaker Setya Novanto was jailed for 15 years for accepting bribes and millions of dollars in kickbacks.

Source: Philippine Star January 31, 2019 09:00 UTC