TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Banten election: Local dynasty and KIM square up for governorship
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Banten gubernatorial candidate pairs (from left to right) Airin Rachmi Diany and Ade Sumardi and Andra Soni and Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah pose with their ballot numbers on Sept. 23, 2024, at an event at the Banten General Elections Commission (KPU) in Serang, Banten. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
Two strongly backed candidates are competing for Banten governorship on Nov. 27, with one contender coming from a family that has been influential for decades in Java’s westernmost province and the other having the support of a big coalition that holds a majority in the local legislature.
Former South Tangerang mayor Airin Rachmi Diany, a Golkar Party politician who is part of the political dynasty in Banten, is seeking the governorship with running mate Ade Sumardi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
They are competing against Andra Soni of Gerindra Party and running mate Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), who are running on the ticket of eight parties from the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), including Gerindra and the PKS.
The governorship in Banten is seen as a strategic post because of the province’s proximity to Jakarta. Banten is also home to national transportation infrastructure as well as several of Jakarta’s more affluent satellite cities.
With 8.9 million people on the voter roll, Banten has the fifth largest number of registered voters nationally.
Strong backers
Airin is the sister-in-law of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, also from Golkar, whose rise to power has been built on what is considered the country’s strongest political dynasty. Atut was removed from office during her second term in 2015 following her conviction in two corruption cases.
