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Ganjar: Rising star faltering in bid for presidency
The former Central Java governor was ahead in the polls last year, but now finds himself stuck between the current frontrunner and an ambitious dark horse candidate.
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Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo (right) greets his supporter during a campaign event in Manado, North Sulawesi on Feb. 1, 2024. During the event, Ganjar calls for his supporters to keep voicing their support for him and running mate Mahfud MD despite pressures from other camps. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
Ganjar Pranowo has pushed his humble background to emerge as a leading presidential candidate, but his campaign has flared out in the lead up to next week's election.
He was born in a village on the slopes of a volcano in Java, but has climbed to challenge for the presidency, a remarkable rise for the down-to-earth outsider in a political scene long dominated by elites from the era of dictator Soeharto.
He had initially been touted as the favorite for the election as the successor to popular incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is a member of the same Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
But the smiley, silver-haired politician's bid faltered as Jokowi moved to tacitly support his main rival, the election frontrunner and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
The 55-year-old, who has dressed in bomber jackets similar to Tom Cruise's in Top Gun at campaign rallies, was ahead in the polls last year.
But momentum stalled as doubts rose about his ability to lead the country after never serving in national politics and being perceived as beholden to his party chair.
Read also: Candidate profile: Ganjar PranowoIn contrast, Prabowo's nationalist verve and selection of Jokowi's eldest son as his running mate saw him open up a wide lead.
According to polls, Ganjar has since lost the second-place spot that will likely face Prabowo in any second-round runoff.
The former oil and gas worker shot to prominence as a vocal legislator and then as the governor of Central Java, one of the biggest jobs on the country’s most populous island.
A former student activist from the city of Yogyakarta, he entered politics in the late 1990s.
His humble demeanor is a stark contrast to the Soeharto-era political elite who have dominated national politics since the end of authoritarian rule in 1998.
That includes Prabowo, who was a top military chief under the dictator.
Read also: Elections ethics verdict a vital lesson for democracy: GanjarStuck in the middle
Experts say Ganjar finds himself stuck between frontrunner Prabowo and former Jakarta governor and main government critic Anies Baswedan.
"The public does not feel any plus value from their support for this ticket," said Firman Noor, researcher at the government-funded National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
His fortunes also suffered after he opposed Israel's participation in the FIFA Under-20 soccer World Cup, which Indonesia was due to host last year but subsequently lost the rights to.
Political analysts say he has also offered no landmark policies that have caught on with voters compared with Prabowo who has offered free meals for schoolchildren and free milk for pregnant mothers.
"So far it is flat, not too controversial," said Noor.
