The National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Golkar Party are now “seriously” considering nominating their own party chairs as a candidate pairing in next year’s presidential election, potentially birthing a four-horse race amid a perceived deadlock in fielding potential running mates.

With the deadline for registering candidates for the election just a few months away, the task of finding suitable vice-presidential hopefuls has proven a frustrating endeavor, as political parties jostle to promote their preferences.

Not content with the current options, the remaining members of the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) are taking a different approach to addressing the problem, despite the risk of potentially watering down the chances for a clear winner to emerge in the upcoming race.

Speaking to the press in Jakarta, PAN deputy chairman Yandri Susanto said that a fourth pairing featuring Golkar leader Airlangga Hartanto and PAN chair Zulkifli Hasan had been floated as an idea at an internal party meeting last week.

“That’s one of the options, to offer another choice for voters. And it is a good thing too that a political party chairman steps up, to ensure [the party’s vision is represented],” Yandri said, as quoted by kompas.com.

“We are seriously offering up this alliance in the hope that it can be realized,” he added.

PAN and Golkar make up two-thirds of the KIB. The United Development Party (PPP), the third member, has since pivoted away to join the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in backing the presidential nomination of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

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