Indonesia’s president has started beaming a hologram of himself to reach voters in key battleground provinces as he shuttles around the south-east Asian archipelago ahead of national polls.

Joko Widodo, who is running for re-election in the world’s third-biggest democracy, and his vice-presidential running mate are projecting 3D images of themselves at some campaign rallies to help cope with their tight schedule, his team said.

The campaign launched this week is targeting the heavily populated provinces of West, Central and East Java, seen as key sources of support.

More than 190 million people are registered to vote in the election on 17 April, with thousands running for seats in parliament and local councils across Indonesia.

Like the candidate himself, Widodo’s life-sized hologram will keep moving across the country in the coming weeks.

The 57-year-old leader is believed to be the first Indonesian politician to rely on a hologram, but others including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, India’s Narendra Modi and a far-left French politician have used them in recent years.

Dressed casually in a white, long-sleeved shirt, jeans and trainers, the hologram pitches the merits of Widodo’s economic record. It also hits out against false claims, including that Widodo is an ethnic Chinese communist and not a devout Muslim.

Indonesia has been targeted by a wave of fake news and misinformation online campaigns in the lead-up to the polls. Last month, three Indonesian women were arrested over an online video that claimed Widodo would ban prayer and make gay marriage legal if re-elected – deeply unpopular moves the politician has never publicly pushed.

“I assure you it’s all slander, lies. Don’t believe it,” his hologram said. “We must fight against it, explain this to those who do believe it.”

The image of Widodo’s running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, a prominent Islamic cleric widely seen as a buffer against questions about Widodo’s Muslim credentials, warned against letting religion influence voters.

“Islam has become a political commodity,” the hologram said. “Verses from the Qur’an are being used for political purposes.”

Recent polls show Widodo and Amin hold a wide lead over rivals Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, and Sandiaga Uno, a businessman.

Widodo beat Subianto in a 2014 presidential contest.