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Ganjar says coalition building with Anies for run-off ‘possible’
Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo said he shook hands with everyone after the third election debate and anything could happen if the election went into a run-off.
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Presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto (left), Ganjar Pranowo (center) and Anies Baswedan stand on the stage during the third 2024 presidential election debate at Istora Senayan in Jakara on Jan. 7, 2024. The third debate covered issues of international relations, defense and security. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo did not rule out the option of cooperating with rival candidate Anies Baswedan if the 2024 presidential election moved into a second round.
"Everything is possible," said Ganjar in Banyumas, Central Java, on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.
Ganjar responded to journalists' questions about the friendly gesture between Anies and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) senior politician Puan Maharani, who had shaken hands after the third election debate on Sunday.
Ganjar and Anies have been trailing behind frontrunner Prabowo Subianto since the campaign season began in November.
In a survey conducted by pollster Indikator Politik in December, Prabowo led with 46.7 percent of the vote in the survey while Ganjar and Anies had 24.5 and 21 percent, respectively.
The Elections Law stipulates that a presidential poll will go into a second round if no candidate can secure more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round.
As Anies and Ganjar are left behind in the surveys, there has been speculation that their camps would eventually build a coalition if the election went into a second round.
However, Ganjar clarified that both Puan and himself shook hands not only with Anies but also with Prabowo. "So, we shook hands with Anies, we shook hands with Prabowo and I shook hands with everyone," he said.
Separately, Puan said she could not guarantee that there would be a coalition between Ganjar and Anies during a second round of the 2024 presidential election. According to her, the PDI-P would assess the future political map after the voting is held on Feb. 14.
"God willing, we'll see what happens in the future. The important thing is that everything runs well and smoothly," Puan said after the Jan. 7 debate.
