JAKARTA, Indonesia — As the country’s first president not to come from the political or military elite, Joko Widodo was a testament, said diplomats and political pundits, to the rising strength of democracy in the world’s fourth-most-populous country. Over two terms in office, Widodo’s focus on building infrastructure and courting investment kept him popular at home. His soft-spoken, folksy demeanor in an age of more-combative leaders won him admirers abroad.
But now, constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, Widodo — widely known as Jokowi — appears reluctant to let go of his sway over Indonesia’s future, say political scientists, watchdog groups and a growing number of the president’s former allies and supporters.
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