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Indonesia looks set for three-horse, two-round 2024 race
Forming a "grand coalition" to contest the 2024 presidential election seems unlikely, now that the PDI-P has nominated Ganjar.
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (right) prepare to shake hands immediately following Megawati’s announcement that the party was backing Ganjar as its 2024 presidential candidate on Friday in Bogor, West Java. (JP/PDI-P)
Indonesian voters are highly likely to be casting their ballots in a three-horse presidential race come 2024, following the surprise nomination of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), quashing hopes for a quick election with the establishment of a “grand coalition” of pro-government parties.
Party leaders had earlier floated the idea of building a major alliance of parties supporting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as a unified front to take on former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, who is backed by the NasDem Party and opposition parties, in hopes that next year’s election would conclude in a single round.
Now that Ganjar is on the PDI-P’s ticket, chances are high that the presidential race will need a second round, given that none of the potential contenders – Ganjar, Anies or Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto – are likely to garner more than 50 percent of the vote that is legally required to win.
The prospect for the establishment of a grand alliance has grown dim, now that pro-government parties must choose between two strong candidates: Ganjar and Prabowo.
‘Ganjar effect’
Ganjar’s nomination is expected to put other parties in the ruling government coalition in a quandary over which candidate to support. The PDI-P, the largest pro-government party, is now seeking electoral allies to support Ganjar.
