Indonesian opposition leader Prabowo Subianto to join cabinet

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian opposition leader Prabowo Subianto said on Monday he had been asked by President Joko Widodo to join the cabinet to help in the area of defence, and the former general said he had accepted the invitation.

"Today we were formally asked and we are able to help," Prabowo, who was Widodo’s challenger in April’s bitterly fought election, told reporters after meeting Widodo at the presidential palace.

He did not confirm his position in the cabinet, but media reports have suggested Prabowo would serve as defence minister.

(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Maikel Jefriando; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Ed Davies and Alex Richardson)