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East Java election: All-women race for NU votes
Java's easternmost province will see a race between three female gubernatorial candidates, with experts saying that voters affiliated with the country's largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) hold the key to determining the winner.
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East Java gubernatorial candidate pairs (from left to right) Luluk Nur Hamidah-Lukmanul Hakim, Khofifah Indar Parawansa-Emil Elestianto Dardak and Tri Rismaharini-Zahrul “Gus Hans“ Azhar Asumta show their ballot numbers during a plenary meeting of the East Java General Elections Commission (KPU) in Surabaya, East Java, on Sept. 23. (Antara/Moch Asim)
Recent surveys have found former governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa to be the frontrunner of the East Java gubernatorial election, but the campaign window remains open and her two rivals have shown no signs of conceding in a contest hinging upon voters aligned with the influential Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
Most of the followers of the country’s largest Islamic organization are based in East Java, and experts say candidates affiliated with the group likely have a better chance of winning the regional election.
With over 31 million registered voters, East Java will have the second-largest regional election in the November polls. The province’s gubernatorial seat is, therefore, seen as a strategic post, offering possible entry into the national political stage.
All-women contest
Khofifah, whose gubernatorial tenure ended in February, is eyeing reelection alongside her deputy Emil Dardak, a Democratic Party politician.
Khofifah served as a House of Representatives lawmaker in the 1990s. Before eventually leading East Java for five years from 2019, she was a social affairs minister in former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo first cabinet, from 2014 to 2018.
She is also no stranger to NU, serving as chair of the group’s women’s wing, Muslimat NU, whose network comprises over 30 million members.
