The Perindo Party has officially joined the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in backing presidential nominee Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo next year, as the two sides inked a political deal on Friday to work in tandem in the 2024 presidential and legislative elections.

After previously entering exploratory talks with other presumptive presidential nominees, Gerindra’s Prabowo Subianto and Golkar’s Airlangga Hartarto, Perindo chairman and media mogul Hary Tanoesudibyo officially sealed a political deal with his PDI-P counterpart to work as a partner backing Ganjar in the upcoming presidential race.

Perindo joins two other parties that have thrown their support behind Ganjar’s nomination, the United Development Party (PPP), a member of the Golkar-led United Indonesia Coalition (KIB), and the Hanura Party. Both parties have backed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo since the 2014 race.

“Why the PDI-P? Many people may ask. Before the question is posed elsewhere, I will answer here. The PDI-P is the party that is most prepared today. It passes the 20 percent presidential threshold to field its own candidate. So there is certainty for us in banding together,” Hary said in a live-streamed press conference.

“The most important thing is that Ganjar Pranowo, as we know, is very popular among the people, still young and, most importantly, has the commitment to continue the development [of the country] that we have seen today, including the relocation of the capital,” he added.

“Continuity is certainly very important in building a nation.”

PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri noted that Friday’s agreement between the two parties not only encompassed the presidential race, but also the legislative and regional elections, all scheduled to be held next year.

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