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More dynasties in the making in November regional head elections
Voters can expect to see more candidates with ties to incumbents in November's regional head elections, as Indonesia's electoral democracy seems set to revive the prevalence of political dynasties that shaped past administrations.
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A worker arranges ballot papers for the regional elections on Nov. 24, 2020 at the Celebes Convention Center in South Sulawesi’s provincial capital Makassar. (Antara/Arnas Padda)
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ell-networked contenders are likely to feature prominently in the upcoming simultaneous regional elections as dynastic politics rears its head once again, just months before voters return to the polls in November to elect their regional leaders.
Relatives of a serving politician running for elected office has become commonplace since 2015, when the Constitutional Court lifted a ban on conflicts of interest in the Regional Elections Law.
Following the victory of Surakarta Mayor and First Son Gibran Rakabuming Raka in clinching the vice presidency in February’s general election, at least one other member of the First Family, albeit by marriage, is planning to run for a higher office and extend President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s political legacy.
Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution, Jokowi’s son-in-law, is all but confirmed to run in North Sumatra’s gubernatorial race during the nationwide regional head elections. He was recently announced as one-half of the ticket backed by the Gerindra Party, which he joined after he was dismissed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) last year.
Asked about Bobby’s decision to run for governor, Jokowi told reporters on Tuesday that Bobby’s choice was entirely his own, and that a parent could only “pray” and wish children well in their endeavors.
But Bobby is not the only well-connected contender in this year’s regional head elections, which is being held simultaneously for the first time.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin also looks set to have a family member contesting the November elections. National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Ahmad Syauqi, one of Ma'ruf’s eight children, announced on Monday that he intended to run for Banten governor as part of the PKB’s pool of prospective candidates.
