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Anies settles VP question, calls on alliance to move on
Bickering over the question of who will run as Anies Baswedan's running mate threatens the alliance's unity.
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Nasdem Party leader Surya Paloh (third left), former vice president Jusuf Kalla (third right), Golkar Party leader Airlangga Hartarto (second right), Democratic Party leader Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (left), Prosperous Justice Party Secretary-General Aboe Bakar Alhabsyi (right ) and potential presidential candidate Anies Baswedan (second left) attend an iftar event at the Nasdem Tower in Gondangdia, Central Jakarta, on March 25. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
The presidential nominee of the Coalition for Change and Unity (KPP), Anies Baswedan, has decided on his choice of running mate and called on political parties backing him to “move forward” with his candidacy, his spokesperson said.
The announcement came amid speculations that the alliance, which represents the opposition forces, is on the brink of falling apart as its members consisting the NasDem Party, the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), struggled to settle on Anies’ running mate as well as the timing for declaring the candidate pair.
In an effort to keep his electoral vehicle intact, Anies convened a joint meeting with KPP members on Tuesday, in which he made clear that talks about the vice presidential nominee have been completed as he has made up his mind over his running mate pick, Anies’ spokesperson Sudirman Said told reporters on Wednesday.
“His directive [during the meeting] was that discussions over the vice presidential nominee have been concluded […] All aspirations have been taken into consideration. Political parties have put forward their aspirations. And now it is Mr. Anies’ turn to find the most suitable time to explain to the public whom he picks,” Sudirman said.
The presidential nominee also called for alliance members to move past the bickering, prepare concrete plans going forward ahead of the announcement of his running mate, and consolidate joint efforts to win the upcoming presidential race, Sudirman said.
"Pak Anies has asked [alliance members] to start moving forward and preparing technical matters, including the completion of the joint campaign team’s structure, the joint activities of the three alliance members, and timing options of the declaration of the presidential and vice presidential candidates," Sudirman noted.
Spat within the Anies camp has recently reached new heights, with the Democrats, which has been pushing for its chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono to fill the VP slot, blaming the uncertainty surrounding Anies’ running mate for his recent electability decline and threatening to evaluate its membership in the alliance unless a running mate was announced this month.
