TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
AHY likeliest opposition VP pick despite lack of experience, analysts say
He has never held public office, but with healthy public opinion polling numbers and control of the Democratic Party, one of the two remaining opposition parties in the House, political scion Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) is a likely choice for the opposition’s vice presidential candidate.
Change Size
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono gives a motivational speech to Democratic Party cadres in West Kalimantan in 2019. (Antara/Jessica Helena Wuysang)
H
e has never held public office, but with healthy public opinion polling numbers and control of the Democratic Party, one of the two remaining opposition parties in the House of Representatives, political scion Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) is a likely choice for the opposition’s vice presidential candidate.
The eldest son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Agus followed in his father’s footsteps with a military career. Graduating at the top of his class in 2000, he served in the Indonesian Military (TNI) until 2016, when he transitioned into politics at his father's instruction.
Agus’ political career began with a trial by fire in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election. With the backing of the Democratic Party-led Cikeas coalition, named after SBY’s residence, Agus ran against the more experienced Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and Anies Baswedan, with Anies eventually prevailing.
Afterwards, Agus founded the Yudhoyono Institute, a think tank, in 2017 and succeeded his father as Democratic Party chair in 2020. As chairman, Agus has consistently opposed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, with the party positioning itself as a vehicle of “change and reform” at a national leadership meeting in September.
Read also: Opposition-leader AHY bares claws, pitches regime change as party backs his 2024 run
Despite his lack of political experience, Agus remains a mainstay in presidential discussions, helped by his status as SBY’s son and his position as the Democrats' chairman, according to Bawono Kumoro of pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia.
“His biggest handicap is the fact that he has zero experience in [elected office]. On the plus side, however, he is considered a 'blue blood' and he leads a major party," Bawono told The Jakarta Post.
