Indonesia's Jokowi to reaffirm support for Ganjar Pranowo as presidential election nears
The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has sought to reaffirm President Joko Widodo's support for its presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, following speculations over whom the leader will endorse.
With the election fast approaching in February, observers say that Widodo might prefer that his Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto take the top job.
Puan Maharani, daughter of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and speaker of the House of Representatives, said at a party event on Sunday that Widodo, known popularly as Jokowi, would back the PDI-P candidate.
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"I believe that Jokowi will continue to stay with the PDI-P," Puan said. "The president has been supported and promoted two times [in electoral runs] by the PDI-P. In the next election, he will do the same."
Widodo, a PDI-P member, has widely been called the kingmaker of the next election, but is yet to officially endorse a candidate.
The PDI-P also described Widodo and Ganjar as "inseparable", pointing to Widodo's role in hand-picking a campaign team for the Central Java governor in a press release last week.
The identities of the members of the team, coined "team-seven", are yet to be revealed, but PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said they would work closely with Ganjar as he begins campaigning unofficially.
"There are seven people assigned by President Jokowi, a team of seven to achieve the goal of Ganjar Pranowo winning," said Hasto at a training event for the party's campaigners last week.
"The president has previously said there must be a grand strategy [to prop up Ganjar's presidential campaign], both in terms of public communication and in building Ganjar's own vision [as president]," Hasto said.
Ganjar, who was leading opinion polls at the start of the year, has been falling behind rival candidate Prabowo in surveys since May.
A poll by Indikator Politik published on Sunday, which focused on canvassing young people, found that Prabowo, with 36.8 per cent, was narrowly ahead of Ganjar with 35.7 per cent. Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan has remained in third place, with 21.5 per cent.
But the survey found that if it was a two-way race between the top candidates, Prabowo had a clear lead over Ganjar, 49.5 per cent to 40.9 per cent.
Despite the ongoing speculation over Widodo's endorsement, the two rivals were photographed together on Monday in an Instagram post shared by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir.
Also present was Widodo's son, Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was caught up in controversy in May for organising a private meeting with Prabowo. After being summoned to the PDI-P headquarters for clarification, he said the meeting should not be equated with an endorsement for Prabowo.
On Sunday, Gibran was seen accompanying Ganjar at an event in Surakarta, signalling his support for the PDI-P candidate.
Prabowo, who has lost two presidential bids to Widodo in 2014 and in 2019, has worked hard to rebrand himself, presenting a softer tact in his speeches and online, according to political analysts. The former military general has also developed a closeness with Widodo, with the pair meeting at least three times in the last month.
The Indikator survey also showed Prabowo had strong support from Indonesia's young voters. Electoral data shows that over half of the registered voters for the February 2024 poll are under 40 years old.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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