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As Anies visits potential coalition partners, decision will hinge on his VP pick, analysts
The Democratic Party has long been touted as one of NasDem’s potential coalition partners, but analysts say any coalition talks will hinge on who NasDem's presidential nominee Anies Baswedan is going to pick as his running mate.
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Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (left) and NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh speak to reporters at the NasDem Party headquarters in Central Jakarta in this undated photo. (kompas.com/Ryana Aryadita Umasugi)
Days after being named the NasDem Party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 election, Anies Baswedan met with Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) on Friday. The Democrats have long been touted as one of NasDem’s potential coalition partners, but analysts say that any coalition talks will hinge on who Anies is going to pick as his running mate.
The pro-government NasDem currently holds 10 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives, far below the 20 percent threshold necessary to field a presidential candidate. For Anies to officially take part in the 2024 election, NasDem has to form a coalition with other political parties, with opposition parties the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) thought to be at the top of the list.
While Friday’s meeting did not result in any official coalition announcement, both Agus and Anies commented on their growing chemistry. “We share the same vision and are guided by the same principle for the future, so it’s no surprise that we got along so well,” said Agus in a joint press conference held after the meeting.
Agus noted that they had known each other since before getting into politics, and their relationship remained strong even after both competed against each other in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, which Anies eventually won.
While Agus is not considered a frontrunner, Democrats spokesman Herzaky Mahendra Putra previously confirmed that the party was still pushing for Agus to contest the 2024 election, either as president or as vice president. Analysts say that the fate of a coalition between NasDem, the PKS and the Democrats might hinge on Anies’ running mate.
VP discussion
Bawono Kumoro of the Jakarta-based pollster Indikator Politik expects that negotiations with the Democrats will be considerably tougher than with the PKS. “Internally, the PKS has no strong figure [to put forward as VP],” Bawono told The Jakarta Post. “As the PKS has also enjoyed a close relationship with Anies since 2017, they might be easier to persuade”.
