Opposition figurehead Anies Baswedan continues to keep his cards close to his chest as regards his prospective running mate, as demonstrated most recently at a rally on Sunday held by the NasDem Party, one of three political parties backing his 2024 presidential bid.

Many speculated that choosing his vice presidential candidate would be at the top of Anies’ priority agenda, once he returned to Indonesia last week from the haj to Saudi Arabia. Pressure has also been mounting on him to name his running mate amid a recent slump in his electability.

But the former Jakarta governor stayed silent on the matter during the NasDem rally on Sunday at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, instead doubling down on his promise to bring change to the country if he were elected next year.

“We are gathering here to reaffirm our commitment, NasDem’s commitment, to the movement for change," Anies told an audience of some 250,000 NasDem members, which erupted into applause.

"Now it’s time to go out there, reach out to the public and invite them to our movement," he said.

Several media reported that thousands of Anies supporters also attended the rally, which was decorated with numerous banners featuring Anies and NasDem head Surya Paloh and the tag line, “It’s time for Indonesia’s restoration”.

In his speech, Surya did not hesitate to call out President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, despite being the head of pro-government NasDem.

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