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Four parties reportedly consider Anies, Yusril to challenge Ahok
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Then-education and culture minister Anies Baswedan talks to a girl during a Car-Free Day event in Jakarta on July 17. (Antara Foto/Reno Esnir)
F
our political parties will meet on Tuesday to nominate an alternative gubernatorial candidate pair after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is reportedly ready to support incumbent Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a politician has said.
The four parties are the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Democratic Party and National Mandate Party (PAN).
Possible gubernatorial candidates to be put forward by the four parties included former national education and culture minister Anies Baswedan and former law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, PPP Jakarta chapter chairman Abdul Aziz said on Tuesday.
“Yusril and Anies are the two figures we are considering. We hope tomorrow we will be able to reveal the names of the candidates,” Abdul told The Jakarta Post.
The four parties set up a new coalition after splitting from the so-called Kinship Coalition after the Gerindra Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) announced their pair – Sandiaga Uno and Mardani Ali Sera – for the 2017 Jakarta election.
Later, however, Sandiaga expressed his readiness to become a deputy gubernatorial candidate of Anies and joined the four parties to establish a grand collation.
Meanwhile, the PDI-P is expected to announce on Tuesday evening that it will join the Golkar Party, the NasDem Party and the Hanura Party in supporting the Ahok-Djarot Saiful Hidayat pair.
The PPP has 10 seats in the Jakarta Council, as has the Democratic Party, the PKB has six seats and PAN has two. Together they exceed the required threshold to field a candidate pair. Meanwhile, Gerindra and PKS have 26 seats in the council. (bbn)
