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Hatta popular in PAN chairmanship race: LSI
The Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) released on Sunday a survey that found that National Mandate Party (PAN) chief Hatta Rajasa has support for a second term
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he Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) released on Sunday a survey that found that National Mandate Party (PAN) chief Hatta Rajasa has support for a second term.
The survey found that 35.6 percent of 1,220 respondents wanted Hatta to lead the party again.
'Hatta is a frontrunner to run the party for the next five years,' said LSI director Kuskridho Ambardi as quoted by tempo.co.
According to the survey, PAN co-founder Amien Rais and Bogor Mayor Bima Arya came second and third in terms of popularity. People's Representatives Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, who is challenging Hatta in the chairmanship race next month, came fourth in the survey with 3.2 percent of respondents' support.
About 35.3 percent of respondents said they had no idea who was best to become the next PAN chairman.
The PAN chairmanship race next month is expected to be dynamic, with Zulkifli, who has gained support from Amien as a cofounder and prominent figure in the party, challenging Hatta, who received strong support from former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his tenure.
Hatta served as coordinating economic minister and also became one of Yudhoyono's in-laws, as his daughter, Aliya Rajasa, married Yudhoyono's second son, Edhie 'Ibas' Baskoro Yudhoyono.
Yudhoyono is also known to have a good relationship with Zulkifli, who served as forestry minister during Yudhoyono's second term as president.
Yudhoyono handpicked Zulkifli during a last-minute lobby that helped to secure victory for the opposition Red-and-White Coalition of political parties in the race to secure MPR leadership in October.
Many PAN members have expressed support for both Hatta and Zulkifli, who are described as good friends and are both believed to bring good to the party, but they might be faced with a tough choice as Amien, who has an influential role in the party, has expressed opposition to Hatta's reelection. (***)
