After attending the anniversary event of the Indonesian Retired Police Association in Jakarta last Wednesday (5 Jul), the prospective presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Ganjar Pranowo, has stated that he remains open to considering potential candidates for the vice-presidential position in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.
“Not yet, not yet, not yet. It is still open,” said Ganjar during the event.
In further developments, the Chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan – PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, has revealed that there are now ten individuals on the list of potential vice-presidential candidates.
This information was conveyed by the Secretary-General of PDI-P, Hasto Kristyanto, during a meeting held at Ganjar’s campaign headquarters in Central Jakarta last Thursday (6 Jul).
“Bu Mega [Megawati] mentioned that there are ten names, including Pak Erick Thohir, Pak Sandiaga Uno, Pak Airlangga, Pak Muhaimin Iskandar, Pak Basuki [Hadimuljono], Pak Mahfud MD, and many other figures who are perceived positively and have strong complementarity when combined with Ganjar Pranowo,” said Hasto.
When asked about Ganjar’s meeting with the State-Owned Enterprises Minister, Erick Thohir, Hasto revealed that Ganjar had not only met with Erick Thohir but also with other potential vice-presidential candidates.
Hasto added that Ganjar Pranowo had already met with the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, in a personal approach to find a vice presidential candidate.
According to Hasto, the meeting between Ganjar and Mahfud MD, among others, discussed efforts to combat corruption. Hasto expressed hope that there would be connections between Ganjar and the potential vice-presidential candidates.
“The decisions will be made by the party leaders, considering strategic factors, including electoral aspects,” Hasto said.
In response to his name being mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate alongside Ganjar Pranowo, Mahfud MD stated that he was not surprised.
“Oh, so my name is there. It’s normal,” Mahfud briefly commented when approached in the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on 9 June.
The mention of Mahfud’s name was made by the Chairperson of PDI-P’s Central Executive Board (DPP PDI-P), Puan Maharani, following the National Working Meeting (Rapat Kerja Nasional – Rakernas) at the PDI-P Party School in Lenteng Agung, Jakarta, on July 6, 2023.
Meanwhile, Sandiaga Uno expressed his reluctance to actively campaign for the vice-presidential position alongside Ganjar Pranowo. Sandiaga stated that the decision lies with the party leaders.
“I see that it is the authority of the party leaders. I won’t actively campaign for it,” said Sandiaga in Jayapura last Wednesday (5 Jul).
Notably, Sandiaga Uno has consistently been among the top candidates for Ganjar’s running mate.
In a survey conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia from April to May this year, Sandiaga ranked first with 24.5%.
According to the latest survey by Algoritma Research and Consulting, Sandiaga remains at the top with a score of 11.3%. In this survey, Erick Thohir is in second place with 10.3%.
Despite the survey results, Sandiaga emphasized that they serve as indicators, and his primary focus is to ensure his contribution is beneficial to society.
While Erick Thohir has yet to comment on his chances of becoming the vice-presidential candidate, he is known for his leadership and notable achievements.
Erick Thohir has made history by generating a total profit of Rp303 trillion and dividends of Rp80 trillion for state-owned enterprises (BUMN). Additionally, he led the Indonesian national football team to win a gold medal at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
According to a survey conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia from 26 to 30 May, Erick Thohir ranked first in a simulation of vice-presidential candidates with a score of 15.5%. He surpassed West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, who ranked second.
In another survey conducted by Poltracking from February to April 2023, with a simulation of 20 vice presidential candidates, Erick Thohir ranked first with a score of 16.3%.
Hasto stated that the announcement of the vice-presidential candidate would be made in September after coordinating with other coalition parties.
“July and August will be dedicated to refining and finalizing the list, then in September, it will be the authority of our chairperson to announce the vice-presidential candidate after coordinating with all the chairpersons of the political parties supporting Ganjar and also with President Jokowi,” said Hasto.
He emphasized that the exact date of the announcement for Ganjar Pranowo’s running mate would depend on the right moment.
General elections are scheduled to be held in Indonesia on 14 February 2024 to elect the President, Vice President, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) which consists of the People’s Representative Council and the Regional Representative Council, and members of local legislative bodies.
