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KPU set to open registration for presidential hopefuls today
More than 204 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballot on February 14, 2024, to elect the next president of Indonesia.
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A man walks past the offices of the General Elections Commission (KPU) displaying big banners about the upcoming elections, in Jakarta on January 31, 2019. (AFP/Adek Berry)
The General Elections Commission (KPU) will open registration for presidential candidates running in the 2024 general election on Thursday, with the current defence minister and two former governors vying to succeed Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
More than 204 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballot on February 14, 2024, to elect the next president of Indonesia.
The winner will take over from Jokowi after two terms in office, since his first election in 2014.
Voters will also cast their ballots for lawmakers on the same day.
Several prominent political names have emerged as strong presidential contenders.
Former general and current defence minister Prabowo Subianto has accepted the nomination from his political party, Gerindra.
It will be his third time running for president, after Prabowo lost to Jokowi in the last two elections.
Jokowi's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has selected Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java, as its presidential contender.
Ganjar is often compared to Jokowi as both did not come from an elite family and portray themselves as down-to-earth politicians.
A third candidate is former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan who secured his nomination with the backing of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), and also has been endorsed by two other parties.
Anies, who is a former cabinet minister, is favoured by conservative Muslims and Islamist groups.
While the official campaign period does not start until November 28, the presidential hopefuls have begun touring the country to seek voter support.
In the run-up to the election, the Constitutional Court issued a controversial ruling this week which allows candidates under 40 years old to be nominated for president or vice president if they have previously been elected to public office.
Critics say the decision was made to pave the way for Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to join the race at the age of 36, potentially as a running mate to Prabowo. Raka is the current mayor of Surakarta City.
Candidate registration is open till October 25, and the next president will be sworn in next October, the elections commission said.
