Gerindra Party chairman and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto appears to be moving toward another presidential run with his recent head-turning “political safari” during Idul Fitri, a move analysts said was designed to bolster support from moderate Muslims, amid his party’s plan to endorse Prabowo for the 2024 race.
erindra Party chairman and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto appears to be moving toward another presidential run with his recent head-turning “political safari” during Idul Fitri, a move analysts said was designed to bolster support from moderate Muslims, amid his party’s plan to endorse Prabowo for the 2024 race.
Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, head of the party’s central executive board, said that the party was still preparing to stage a national declaration to formally endorse Prabowo as its candidate for president.
“The national declaration is currently being finalized and [we] are waiting for the right time,” Dasco told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. “We are, at the moment, consolidating [our party] and welcoming suggestions from members on Prabowo’s presidential candidacy.”
Some central board senior members and heads of local branches have staged public declarations in several regions, endorsing the retired Army general to run again as a candidate in the coming race. This includes events in West Sumatra, where Prabowo won a significant by margin against President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2014 and 2019.
In his speech in late-March, Gerindra West Sumatra office head Andre Rosiade said that “party members are ready to work hard to secure victory for Prabowo”. He hopedPrabowo would be willing to be nominated again as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election
Prabowo’s spokesperson at the ministry Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, also a Gerindra member, said that the minister “fully respects” the growing support from his party members and the public for his candidacy in the coming election.
“He is committed to continuing to make a positive contribution to Indonesia,” Dahnil said on Thursday.
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