Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo remains the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, while his top potential challengers former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Gerindra Party leader Prabowo Subianto find themselves in a tight race, according to the latest public opinion poll issued this week.

A survey from Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) conducted between March 2-11, showed that Ganjar remains the frontrunner, garnering 35.5 percent of support among respondents, followed by Prabowo (27.2 percent) and Anies (24.8 percent), if the elections were held immediately.

Ganjar’s electability rose by at least 1.5 percent from the 33.7 percent in a survey polled in December last year, widening his lead over opposition figurehead Anies, who at the time trumped Prabowo (28.1 percent to 26.1 percent) after previously trailing behind the defense minister.

The pollster arrived at the results after asking 1,220 respondents, with a margin of error of 3.1 at 95 percent confidence level.

The survey showed that the Central Java Governor has seen his electability steadily rising in the last few years, garnering 10 percent of support since May 2021, while support for Prabowo has dipped by 6.9 percent while Anies remained stagnant with a 1.3 percent increase.

Read also: Jokowi plays kingmaker as Megawati weighs Ganjar-Prabowo ticketWhile the latest survey found Prabowo as the most popular figure compared to other potential candidates, Ganjar remained the most liked presidential hopeful, with 90 percent of respondents viewing him favorably. Anies’ unlikability, meanwhile, had fallen to 72 percent from 78 percent in December.

“Ganjar's positive acceptance rating explains why support for Ganjar is higher than other candidates,” Deni Irvani, the research director of SMRC, said.

Speculation has been rife that the ruling coalition is seeking to pair Ganjar and Prabowo for the 2024 presidential race, a political arrangement that, if it materializes, could concentrate political support to beat Anies, who has secured the backing of the pro-government NasDem Party and the opposition Democratic Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is seen by some as trying to play kingmaker and seeking to influence the hunt for his successor and ensure continuity of his legacy, is believed to have supported the pairing of the two figures, with his meeting with Prabowo and Ganjar in Kebumen, Central Java, interpreted as his way of testing the waters.

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