Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is being considered as a potential candidate for the upcoming Jakarta Gubernatorial Election. Kaesang, who is also Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), is named alongside internal candidates of the National Mandate Party (PAN) such as Gita Anjani, Pasha Ungu and Bima Arya Sugiarto.
Eko Patrio, Chairman of the Jakarta Chapter of PAN, said that Kaesang’s name is among the external candidates along with PAN’s internal candidates.
Besides Kaesang, Eko also mentioned Rano Karno as a potential candidate due to his experience in both executive and legislative roles, and his connection to Jakarta. Rano is a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
The final decision will depend on the PAN Executive Board (DPP) approval. Currently, the Jakarta Chapter of PAN is gathering input from local leaders to shortlist potential candidates.
On the other hand, Raja Juli Antoni, Secretary of the Board of Patrons of PSI, said that PSI has not yet decided on Kaesang’s candidacy. The decision will depend on discussions within the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM).
He cited that there has been no specific coordination with KIM regarding Kaesang’s candidacy.
In a recent interview, Kaesang expressed his interest in running for the Jakarta Governorship, preferring Jakarta over Surakarta due to his national role in PSI.
His eligibility was recently confirmed after the Supreme Court’s ruling on May 29, 2024, which adjusted the age requirement for governor and vice-governor candidates, making him eligible as he will be 30 years old by the time of the inauguration of the elected Jakarta Governor in January 2025.
