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Gerindra to determine Sandiaga's replacement next week: Official
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Sandiaga Uno reads out his resignation letter as Jakarta deputy governor on Aug. 27. (kompas.com/Nibras Nada Nailufar)
T
he Gerindra Party will hold a meeting next week to discuss a replacement for outgoing Jakarta deputy governor Sandiaga Uno who stepped down to run in next year’s presidential election.
“Gerindra’s Jakarta chapter will hold a plenary meeting, which will be followed by a leadership meeting, where [Sandiaga’s replacement] will be decided,” Jakarta Council deputy speaker Mohamad Taufik, who is also chairman of Gerindra's Jakarta chapter, said on Sunday as reported by tempo.co.
Sandiaga, who is a businessman-turned-politician, will run in the election as the running mate of Gerindra leader Prabowo Subianto after having served in the Jakarta administration for nearly a year.
Gerindra, along with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which backed Sandiaga and Governor Anies Baswedan in the election last year, have yet to agree on naming candidates for the vacant deputy governor’s seat. While the PKS have proposed Ahmad Syaikhu and Nurmansjah Lubis, speculation is rife that the second largest party in the city will nominate Taufik.
Taufik said his party had agreed on naming him as Sandiaga’s replacement.
“I was proposed by [Gerindra]. I will just follow the party’s decision,” added Taufik who is a former corruption convict.
The General Election Commission (KPU) ruling states that prospective legislative nominees “must not be former drug dealing, child sexual assault or corruption convicts”, as those crimes are “extraordinary” and thus “have damaging effects on society”.
Taufik has challenged the ruling and earned a green light from the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to run in the election, citing constitutional rights. (fac)
