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North Sumatra race: Jokowi’s son-in-law locks horns with PDI-P-aligned former governor
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North Sumatra gubernatorial candidate pairs Edy Rahmayadi and Hasan Basri Sagala (left) and Bobby Nasution and Surya (right) show their ballot numbers during a public meeting of the North Sumatra General Elections Commission (KPU) in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sept. 23, 2024. (Antara/Yudi Manar)
North Sumatra’s more than 10 million voters will select their new governor in November, choosing between the province’s former governor Edy Rahmayadi and strongly backed Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution, the son-in-law of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
North Sumatra is the country’s most populous province outside Java, and Edy, despite his popularity as a former North Sumatra governor, is running a close race against Bobby, whose relationship with Jokowi has helped boost his popularity.
Edy and his running mate Hasan Basri are running on the ticket of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P), the second-largest party in the province by representation in the local legislature, and a smaller party called Hanura.
Bobby and his running mate, Asahan regent Surya, are running on the ticket of nine parties that are part of the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) supporting president-elect Prabowo Subianto and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Bobby’s brother-in-law.
They include the Golkar Party, which is the largest party in the province and counts Surya as a member, and the Gerindra Party, the third-largest party, which Bobby recently joined.
Jokowi’s blessing
A survey released by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) in July, before candidates were officially in the running, found Bobby to be the most electable candidate, with over 41 percent of respondents favoring him, while Edy came in second with 21 percent.
