Indonesia's new president has said he wants to be called by his nickname and revealed that a French furniture buyer gave him his name.

Joko Widodo has long been widely known as Jokowi, a contraction of his two names. Asked by a journalist from the Jakarta Post newspaper what he would like to be called, he said "Joko" would be awkward, and "Mr Widodo or President Widodo" would sound strange.

"President Jokowi," he said, for those who insist on attaching his official title. "But otherwise, just Jokowi."

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