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Political parties prepare for a three-plus-horse race
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An election official inspects newly printed ballots for the 2019 presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 20, 2019 in Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post/Dhoni Setiawan)
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t least a three-horse race is shaping up as the nation’s political parties sign up for the 2024 race, marking the official start of a busy election season ahead.
Since Monday of last week, all nine parties having seats at the House of Representatives have registered with the General Elections Commission (KPU) for the coming general election, as coalition building remains underway.
The first party to show up on day one of the registration period was the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which zeroes in on a “hat trick” in the coming presidential election after securing victory consecutively in 2014 and 2019 polls with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
“PDI-P will determine how the constellation [of politics in the country] will go; PDI-P will become a force that will determine in which direction the political pendulum will move," secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said after submitting his party application.
The party has neither named a candidate pair to back for the presidential race nor has it teamed up with other parties for the coming election. Having more than 20 percent of the seats at the House of Representatives under its belt, the PDI-P is the only party that can nominate a presidential candidate without forming a coalition.
The party elite has been tipped to nominate House speaker Puan Maharani, the apparent heir to PDI-P longtime chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, ahead of popular Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, a party cadre who has a much better electability score than Puan.
While the party has yet to begin coalition talks with any prospective partners, party executives have hinted at looking to ally with other parties as they are aware that the upcoming race “cannot be won alone”.
