Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo, left, receives a piece of ‘tumpeng’, a Javanese traditional ceremonial dish of rice, from the chairwoman of Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Sukarnoputri flash ‘V’ sign during a ceremony marking the start of his presidential election campaign in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday. (AP)

JAKARTA: Campaigning for Indonesia’s July presidential election officially kicked off Wednesday, with favorite Joko Widodo facing a tough challenge from a Suharto-era former general with a chequered human rights record.

Widodo, who won legions of fans during his time as Jakarta governor, started the campaign period with a ceremony at his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s headquarters in the capital.

The party head handed him a cone of rice, a traditional gift in Indonesian culture to mark important events. He was due to set off in the evening to the eastern region of Papua, his first stop on a mammoth tour round the archipelago to win votes for the July 9 poll.

His only opponent, ex-general Prabowo Subianto, was heading to Bandung, in the west of the main island of Java, to begin campaigning later Wednesday.

Voters face a stark choice between Widodo, seen as a fresh face in a country still dominated by figures from the three-decade Suharto dictatorship, and Prabowo, who has deep roots in the past.

Widodo has enjoyed a a meteoric rise, from small town mayor on Java, to Jakarta governor, and now the likely next president of Indonesia.

The 52-year-old’s humble background and common touch — he regularly tours the sprawling city’s slums in casual clothes — has made him popular in a country where leaders have typically come from the ranks of the military or wealthy, aloof elites.

“I will vote for Jokowi as he is humble and close to ordinary people,” said Suradi, 60, a motorized rickshaw driver in the capital who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

In contrast, Prabowo was a leading figure in the military who commanded the army’s special forces in the dying days of the Suharto era in the late 1990s and has admitted ordering the abduction of democracy activists.