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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and prospective rival, Prabowo Subianto, are racing against time to pick their respective running mates, with the registration period for the upcoming presidential race expected to end this Friday.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has made it clear that the deadline for the registration of presidential candidates is this Friday and that it has no plan to extend the registration period.

On Tuesday, the secretaries-general of the nine political parties in Jokowi’s coalition visited the KPU’s headquarters in Jakarta for a discussion about registration requirements. The coalition has prepared all the administrative documents, yet the field for the vice president’s name remains blank.

“We made sure to provide information [to the KPU] earlier since we have agreed to support Pak Jokowi,” Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said. “However, in the meantime, we are still waiting for the name of [Jokowi’s] vice-presidential candidate, which will be announced to the public soon.”

While many argue that it is a strategy in politics to wait until the last possible minute before candidates officially announce their ticket, speculation is also rife that Jokowi’s camp is still waiting for the Constitutional Court to decide if Vice President Jusuf Kalla can run for a third term.

“We will wait and accept the Court’s ruling,” Kalla said.

The court is currently handling a judicial review petition filed by the United Indonesia Party (Perindo), which challenges a provision in the 2017 Elections Law banning the president or vice president from seeking a third term in office.

The petition, if granted, could pave the way for Kalla to become Jokowi’s running mate. Jokowi has yet to publicly state his intention to run with Kalla again, but several analysts said they believed that the incumbent pair could easily win the 2019 election should they run together once again.

Top names on Jokowi’s list of vice-presidential candidates include former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD, Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma’ruf Amin and Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko.

Jokowi is believed to be looking for candidates with either a strong religious background or strong military background to increase his electability. The President, however, is also expected to pick a professional candidate that could help implement his policies and address the global economic challenges.

Kalla, who has expressed his readiness to contest the election again, is seen as a candidate with strong Islamic and business credentials, and one that could solve Jokowi’s vice-presidential dilemma should the court grant Perindo’s petition.

Constitutional Court spokesman Fajar Laksono said he did not rule out the possibility of the court issuing the ruling on Perindo’s petition this week, but added that the court was now focused on settling election disputes.

Constitutional law expert Refly Harun said the court appeared to have no desire to act fast in handling the case, while in fact there was a precedent in which the court issued its ruling on the same day of the hearing.

In a judicial review to allow Indonesian citizens to use their identity cards or passports as evidence to cast their ballots in the 2009 presidential election, the court held the hearing at 10 a.m. and handed down its ruling at 5 p.m., two days before voting day on July 8, Refly said. “There is no obstacle for the court to act fast on this case,” he added.

PDI-P politician Pramono Anung said they could not wait for the court’s decision to name Jokowi’s running mate, adding that the coalition must come up with a name by Thursday at the very latest.

The Prabowo coalition is struggling to keep everyone on board.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Sohibul Iman has insisted that Prabowo choose either PKS advisory board chairman Salim Segaf al-Jufri or popular preacher Abdul Somad Batubara as recommended by an ulema gathering under the National Movement to Safeguard the Ulema Fatwa (GNPF).

“If [Prabowo’s running mate] is not chosen based on the result of the ulema gathering, the constellation of the coalition will not narrow, but will scatter instead,” he said.

He added that forming a third coalition was still possible for the PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), as Shohibul said that after Jokowi had made his decision on his running mate, some parties might be disappointed.

Speculation was rife on Tuesday that PAN might consider joining Jokowi’s camp, especially after PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan visited Jokowi at the State Palace.