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Sandiaga says Anies agrees to team up for Jakarta election
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Fomer national education and culture minister Anies Rasyid Baswedan (center) speaks to a group of supporters at his house in South Jakarta. (JP/Donny Fernando)
S
andiaga Uno says former education and culture minister Anies Baswedan has expressed his willingness to team up with him in Jakarta’s gubernatorial election to be held on Feb. 15, 2017.
Previously, Sandiaga said he would be ready to become a deputy candidate for Anies to challenge the incumbents Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
"This morning I met Anies. We have agreed and committed to developing and winning Jakarta together," Sandiaga said at his campaign team headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Anies had said he was waiting for a decision from a coalition of political parties that may back him for the election.
Sandiaga said Anies was becoming more popular among the coalition after Poltracking revealed survey results suggesting Anies and Sandiaga would be tough opponents for Ahok.
However, the six political parties grouped in the so-called Kinship Coalition have not yet made a final decision on whether to endorse Anies and Sandiaga in the election.
The coalition discussed the candidacy on Wednesday. Officials from the Gerindra Party and the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) held a meeting in the house of Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto in South Jakarta.
Meanwhile, leaders of the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) met up at the house of Democratic Party chairman and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bogor, West Java.
"We respect the ongoing process in the coalition. However, the coalition has agreed that there would be only two pairs of candidates in the election," Sandiaga said. (bbn)
