Jakarta. President-elect Prabowo Subianto will invite all candidates for his cabinet to an in-person interview with him, a close aide said on Friday.

The appointment of cabinet members is exclusively the prerogative of the president, except for certain positions like the National Police chief and the Armed Forces commander that require confirmation from the House of Representatives.

A selection team has interviewed candidates but Prabowo will spare his time to meet them in person before the hiring decision is made, said Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, the acting chairman of Prabowo’s Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

"There will be some kind of a fit-and-proper test. Although the team has conducted the interviews, Mr. Prabowo wants to meet [the candidates] in person before finalizing the selection," Sufmi told reporters at the legislature compound in Jakarta.

Prabowo needs to make sure that every candidate has the competence, quality, and expertise in their respective field, he added.

During the BNI Investor Daily Summit on Wednesday, Prabowo hinted that his cabinet will include many ministers from the current cabinet of outgoing President Joko Widodo.

Prabowo’s running mate is the president’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Prabowo reportedly plans to expand the cabinet membership from 34 to 44 by adding new ministries and splitting several ones into different entities.