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View all search resultsAnies at career crossroads after failed gubernatorial bids
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Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan (left) takes a selfie with a participant in the Car-Free Day event on Jl. Jend. Sudirman in Jakarta on Aug. 4, 2024. (Antara/Asprilla Dwi Adha)
H
aving failed to get on the ballot in the upcoming regional head elections, unsuccessful presidential candidate Anies Baswedan is all but confirmed to be out of public office for the next five years, prompting experts to believe that the outspoken government critic might soon see his influence wane should president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s incoming administration be received well by the public.
Anies, a former Jakarta governor, had been widely tipped to stage a reelection run in the province on the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) ticket, before the party ultimately opted to field an all-PDI-P candidate pair of Pramono Anung and Rano Karno.
Previously, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the NasDem party had declared their support for Anies’ reelection bid in Jakarta before eventually joining forces with Prabowo’s Gerindra party-led Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which is also allied with outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo..
A plan by the PDI-P’s West Java chapter to nominate Anies for the province’s gubernatorial bid also fell through, with a senior PDI-P politician putting the blame squarely on “Mulyono”, who had been accused of meddling in November’s polls. The name Mulyono is a reference to Jokowi and a viral online campaign to call the President by his birth name.
Following his failed gubernatorial bids, Anies has made a couple of appearances on social media, including in a broadcast interview with renowned journalist Najwa Shihab, as well as in a podcast with comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono.
On Sunday, he was also pictured meeting with the Pramono-Rano pair during a Car-Free Day event in Jakarta. This led to speculation that Anies might head the pair’s campaign team, although Pramono had announced previously that comedian Lies Hartono, also known as Cak Lontong, would instead helm the team.
Read also: PDI-P shuts door on Anies reelection bid
