Jakarta.  President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has dismissed claims of distributing ministerial positions before the end of his term. He said that the appointments were coordinated with president-elect Prabowo Subianto to ensure a smooth transition of governance.

"This is to ensure the continuity of governance. There is no distribution of positions. Everything has been discussed in the interest of the incoming government and has been discussed with the president-elect Prabowo Subianto," Jokowi said on Friday.

On Thursday, President Jokowi appointed the president-elect’s nephew, Thomas Djiwandono, as Deputy Minister of Finance II, Yuliot Tanjung as Deputy Minister of Investment, and Sudaryono as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, replacing Harvick Hasnul Qolbi.

Djohermansyah Djohan, a professor at the Institute of Public Administration (IPDN), viewed these appointments as a strategy to ensure a smooth transition of governance.

"Although only about 3 to 4 months remain, their presence will be very useful in ensuring that the 2025 program and budget align with the vision and mission of the president-elect," said Djohan on Thursday.

Prabowo will be inaugurated as the next president in October.

Djohan added that the three deputy ministers, who are close associates of the president-elect Prabowo Subianto, are expected to help adjust the budget and policies for the early period of the Prabowo-Gibran administration through 2025.

Djohan also noted that the presence of these new deputy ministers is crucial because previous communication and meetings within the bureaucracy were deemed inadequate.

According to Djohan, this situation is different from previous governmental transitions, such as from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) to Jokowi in 2014 or from Megawati Soekarnoputri to SBY in 2004.

"At that time, the relationships between leaders were not harmonious. However, this time there seems to be better continuity between the Jokowi and Prabowo administrations," said Djohan.