JAKARTA (Reuters) -The vast volunteer network of outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Saturday endorsed retired general Prabowo Subianto for president in February’s election.

The endorsement from the “Projo” network, seen as a proxy for the president, is the strongest signal yet that the incumbent will back his former rival in the closely contested race.

Budi Arie Setiadi, Projo chief and the president’s communications minister, declared the group’s support during a press conference at Prabowo’s Jakarta home.

“He is a brave man and is committed to the welfare of Indonesians,” Budi said.

Jokowi, as the president is known, has not yet officially endorsed any candidate.

While Jokowi does not lead a party of his own, he has an informal following of millions of volunteers who are active on social media and who promote his policies and presidency, especially ahead of elections.

The Projo network helped to propel him to victory against Prabowo in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman and Ananda Teresia; Editing by William Mallard and Edmund Klamann)

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