The clasp of his mother's hand calmed Joko Widodo, the tension in him slowly subsiding. The mood in the central room of Rumah Saya in South Jakarta, a house which had been loaned to him for his campaign, became pleasant once again that Wednesday night. In a few hours the second round of voting for the election of the new governor of Jakarta would begin.

Sudjiatmi Notomihardjo, Jokowi's mother, had noticed the tense discussion going on in the room. A