JAKARTA The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has declared Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its presidential candidate for the 2024 general election.
The announcement by PDI-P chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday paves the way for South-east Asias largest democracy to have a three-way presidential race that will be held concurrently with the legislative election on Feb 14, 2024.
With this decision, I hereby instruct… all cadres to immediately move forward, work hard, meet the grassroots and win the 2024 general election, Ms Megawati said in a YouTube broadcast.
President Joko Widodo who is a PDI-P member was present at Fridays announcement in Bogor, West Java, and expressed appreciation for Ms Megawatis move.
Voters need to know early who the presidential and vice-presidential candidates (that will join the 2024 race) are, so they have ample time to assess and make their decision, he said.
Sharing his views on thenewly announced presidential candidate, Mr Widodo added: Ganjar is a leader who is close to the people, is always visiting the grassroots, and has strong ideologies.
Mr Widodo also said that his successor must continue priority programmes that had been started by his administration, adding that a democratic process of a nations succession is a must.
The remark has been viewed by observers as a rebuttal to opponent politicians claim that Mr Widodo has sought to exert his influence over the next presidential election.
Agreeing with Mr Widodo in an appreciation speech that ended Fridays event, Mr Ganjar pledged: We must carry on with the fundamental (development) that President Joko Widodo has built. He has made breakthroughs.
Mr Ganjar also expressed his thanks for the task given to him by the PDI-P, noting that this was not his first important assignment from the party.
He had previously spent ten years as a PDI-P MP, and will complete his second and final five-year term as Central Java governor on a PDI-P ticket in August.
It is an honour for me. It is not an easy task, Mr Ganjar said, appealing for support from the PDI-P cadre.
Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 71, and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, 53, had separately been declared presidential candidates earlier by the political parties that backed them.
A running mate has not yet been decided for either candidate.
Political parties must officially submit their pair of candidates to the national election commission (KPU) between Oct 19 and Nov 25.
Indonesias election law requires a political party or a coalition of political parties that field a pair of presidential and vice-presidential candidates to have at least 20 per cent of the 575 national Parliament seats.
PDI-P is the only party out of nine that has more than 20 per cent, and thus does not need to join hands with any party to field a candidate pairing.
Mr Ganjar, 54, is struggling to make up for the damage to his standing among Indonesias electorate after he rejected hosting 2023 Fifa youth World Cup matches in Central Java one of the designated venues over opposition to Israels participation in the tournament.
His decision to oppose Israeli participation echoed that of fellow PDI-P party cadre and Bali provincial governor Wayan Koster and other conservative groups, which then led Indonesia to lose its hosting rights in a significant embarrassment for the country and its soccer.
Indonesias two most popular sports are soccer and badminton.
In the latest public opinion survey of presidential hopefuls by noted Jakarta-based pollster Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) following the youth soccer tournament fiasco, Mr Ganjar who was ranked first in a previous survey was overtaken by Mr Prabowo, while Mr Anies remained in third place.
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