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Golkar’s Airin to get PDI-P support for Banten governor race
Airin Rachmi Diany, the former mayor of South Tangerang, Banten, appears on course to secure the political support she needs to run in the provincial head election as two potential backers are finalizing the deal to form an electoral alliance behind her candidacy.
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Former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama (second right) talks with then South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diani (second left) before the inauguration ceremony of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and vice president Ma’ruf Amin in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Oct. 20, 2019. (ANTARA FOTO/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
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irin Rachmi Diany, the former mayor of South Tangerang city in Banten, appears on course to secure the political support she needs to run in the provincial head election, as two potential backers finalize the deal to form an electoral alliance behind her candidacy.
Airin, the sister-in-law of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, whose rise to power has been built on what is considered the country’s strongest political dynasty, may have emerged as the candidate to beat in the November election, with opinion polls putting her well ahead of her rivals.
However, with less than a month to go before the election’s registration scheduled for Aug. 27, the 47-year-old Golkar politician finds herself in a vulnerable position having yet secured enough political support.
Prevailing regulations require a gubernatorial candidate to have the support of a party or coalition of parties holding at least 20 percent of seats in the regional legislature. Despite being the most voted for party in the Banten legislative elections in February, Golkar only secured 14 out of 100 seats available at the local council.
Currently, talks are underway between Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which secured a similar number of seats, to forge an alliance backing a joint ticket for the Banten gubernatorial race.
Read also: Risma, Marzuki emerge as Khofifah’s likely challengers in East Java race
A PDI-P official suggested that the discussions with Golkar had reached the final stages, and that a joint ticket - on which Airin would run alongside Ade Sumardi, 52, who heads the party’s Banten branch - would soon be declared.
