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Ganjar: ‘I hereby accept the mandate of continuing the struggle’
The PDI-P ends months of political uncertainty, appoints Central Java governor as 2024 candidate as Megawati asserts her influence.
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (right) move to shake hands a moment after the former announced the latter as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 election, on Friday in Bogor, West Java. (JP/PDI-P)
The Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the largest ruling party, on Friday announced that they have chosen Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its 2024 presidential candidate.
Speaking just ahead of Idul Fitri celebrations and on Kartini Day, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri said the decision was a manifestation of “the intellectual red thread” of the country’s founding fathers, which champions the state ideology Pancasila and equality among all.
“Today, on Kartini Day, the 21st of April 2023, a remembrance of the Indonesian women’s struggle toward a non-discriminative nation, [...] at 1:45 p.m., bismillah [in God’s name] we appoint Ganjar Pranowo, our party member, to be advanced in his responsibilities as a presidential candidate,” Megawati said.
Ganjar, 54, has been the governor of Central Java for a decade, and has successfully established a strong popularity and high electability rate through the savvy use of social media despite persisting problems in his province.
In a three-horse race simulation, a Wednesday survey by Indikator Politik found that Ganjar’s electability rate stood at 27,9 percent in April.
While still a strong contender for the 2024 election, the survey results also revealed a dip in his popularity by 7.1 percent, a fact widely suspected to have been caused by his and his party’s opposition to Israeli participation in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which contributed to Indonesia’s removal as host nation for the global soccer event set for May.
