The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Chairman Giring Ganesha and other party officials visited the Golkar Party office on August 23, 2022. Golkar Party Chairman and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto welcomed the visit and said both parties shared similar views, including their efforts to avoid identity politics in the 2024 elections.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Secretary General Hasto Kristianto, during a presidential debate hosted by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), said the party would nominate two or more candidates to run for president in 2024. He said Indonesia needed to hold a fast, credible and democratic presidential election, which should only go for one round.
At the National Mandate Party (PAN) national meeting on September 3, 2022, party chairman Zulkifli Hasan proposed nine potential presidential candidates, including Hasan himself, Hartarto, the United Development Party (PPP) Chairman Suharso Monoarfa, the PDIP deputy chairperson for politics and security Puan Maharani, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.
Hasan said, however, that the party has yet to decide their final choice. PAN deputy chairman Viva Mauladi said the party’s regional representatives in 514 regencies and cities unanimously proposed Hasan as the party’s presidential candidate.
Public satisfaction
A survey released by polster Indometer on September 5, 2022, showed that public satisfaction towards President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for the government’s performance in dealing with inflation was positive.
Indometer Executive Director Leonard S.B. said 80.2% of respondents were pleased with the president’s performance. The survey took place from August 15 to August 20, 2022, with 1,200 randomly selected respondents from all provinces.
PDIP deputy chairman for economy Said Abdullah said that Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto would ride horses with Maharani in his residence in Hambalang, Bogor regency, West Java. The parties’ top brass would discuss on a coalition strategy for the 2024 presidential race.
The People’s Deliberation (Musra), a voluntarily organization led by Jokowi, has nominated 10 potential presidential and vice presidential candidates to participate in the 2024 polls.
Jokowi got first place with 1,704 votes out of a total of 5,721 casts. “There is 29.79% [votes] who want Jokowi to run for office again,” said Andi Gani Nena Wea, chairman of Musra steering committee.
Surprisingly, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno came in second with 968 votes (16.92%). Pranowo came in third with 921 votes (16.1%) while Kamil came in first as a vice presidential candidate, receiving 2,255 votes (38.89%) of participants.
Two popular presidential candidates may be out from the race even before the contest begins, as ruling coalition political groups may try to deny them a party ticket.
Some major political parties’ senior leaders have allegedly met behind closed doors to discuss rejecting Pranowo and Baswedan’s nominations for the 2024 presidential election.
Pollsters have placed the two as tier one candidates based on their individual electability, with Subianto, who is alleged to have attended the talks, although neither is a party elite.
Warna Institute released the results of a survey on presidential candidates with Executive Director Rinjani Dwi Harini naming Hartarto as the top presidential candidate when paired with Pranowo and Baswedan. She said that 40.8% of respondents chose the Hartarto-Pranowo pair, while 32.4% chose the Hartarto-Baswedan pair.
