Jakarta, NU Online
The executive board of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, has expressed hope that the presidential and vice presidential candidates will accept whatever decision people take later on July 9.<>

"We meanwhile are calling on the two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates to use the current cooling-down period to reflect and prepare themselves, so that they could later accept whoever the people elect with a benevolent attitude and a common sense," Associate Chairman of NU Slamet Effendy Yusuf said in a written statement received here on Monday.

He said if the competing candidates could accept whatever decision people take, the election will become a good momentum for developing a peaceful and democratic tradition of national leadership succession.

Slamet meanwhile also called on the people to use the cooling-down period to individually contemplate and think clearly and profoundly before implementing their right and have political freedom.

"Let us use the cooling-down period in taking time away from the fanfare of recent election campaigns that had often been marked by negative acts, including intolerance to different political choices," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

He expressed his hope that people will use their political right and freedom maturely and responsibly by avoiding actions that could hurt democracy.

The campaign period ended at 24:00 hours on Saturday, which is followed by cooling-down period until the election on July 9.

The election will be contested by two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla (JK).

Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Jokowi is Jakartas governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), while his running mate, JK, is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.

The Prabowo-Hatta pair is supported by Gerindra, PAN, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Crescent and Star Party (PBB), the Golkar Party, and the Democrat Party.

The Jokowi-JK pair is supported by five political parties: PDIP, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the Peoples Conscience Party (Hanura), the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI), and the National Democrat Party (Nasdem).

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq