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Bahlil among top candidates for Airlangga successor
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto ride a golf buggy at Bogor Botanical Garden in West Java on Jan. 6, 2024. (Antara/Golkar Party)
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wo members of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s cabinet, one of whom is Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, have emerged as top contenders for the Golkar Party chairmanship following the sudden resignation of Airlangga Hartarto.
Airlangga, currently the coordinating economic minister, stepped down as Golkar chair over the weekend, citing the need to “ensure stability” ahead of the transition to the incoming administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, whom the party backed in February’s presidential election.
Golkar will select an acting chairman from 11 existing deputies this week, at which time it will also set a date for a national congress to elect a definitive chairman.
On Friday, a day before Airlangga’s resignation, Bahlil, a close ally of Jokowi’s, was spotted visiting former vice president and Golkar politician Jusuf Kalla. Some observers believed this was an attempt to garner support for a bid for the chairmanship of Golkar.
The minister said on Monday that his visit to Kalla’s residence was merely a silaturahmi (friendly meeting to maintain bonds) with the former vice president, tribunnews.com reported. Bahlil also claimed he was not eligible to serve as acting chair of the party as he was not on its central board.
Earlier on Friday, Bahlil was also photographed meeting with Jokowi, which he said was part of his duties as a minister.
Airlangga’s resignation came as a surprise to the party’s central board, given that his chairmanship was supposed to end in December, when the party was to host a national congress to elect a new chairman.
