Indonesia's Widodo takes office, reaches out to foes
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JAKARTA (AFP) - Joko Widodo, Indonesia's first leader without deep roots in the era of dictator Suharto, was sworn in as president Monday and immediately reached out to his political foes to seek support for his ambitious reform agenda.
The inauguration, which was attended by foreign dignitaries including US Secretary of State John Kerry and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, capped a remarkable rise for a softly-spoken politician who was brought up in a riverside slum.
Widodo, known by his nickname Jokowi, worked his way up through local politics before securing the presidency in July following a close race against controversial ex-general Prabowo Subianto.
He is the country's first president from outside an ageing band of political and military figures who have ruled the world's third-biggest democracy since the end of the three-decade Suharto dictatorship in 1998.
But there are fears that a hostile parliament dominated by parties that opposed Widodo at the election, and the new leader's status as a political outsider, could make it hard for him to push through reforms aimed at reviving Southeast Asia's top economy and helping society's poorest.
