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uring his tenure as the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo was in the spotlight for appearing to harbor political ambitions for the 2019 presidential election.

Before President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo replaced him with Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto in December, months before his actual retirement date, Gatot had made headlines over his controversial and politically charged statements.

However, Gatot has always firmly denied speculation that he might eye the country’s top post in the next election, challenging his boss, Jokowi, who has also been endorsed by some political parties to seek reelection.

A clearer sight of his next move came on Thursday as he was reported to have registered himself as a possible candidate through Gerindra.

“Gatot came to us several days ago registering himself as a presidential candidate. He said if it was possible, he was ready [to contest],” Gerindra executive Muhammad Syafi’i said on Thursday.

He confirmed that in the meeting with the party, Gatot even conveyed his plan directly to Gerindra chief patron Prabowo Subianto. Syafi’i refused to give further details on the meeting. The registration came despite no official convention being held by the opposition party.

Opening a presidential candidate for Gatot might not be possible, said Gerindra deputy secretary-general Andre Rosiade.

“The door for Gatot to be a presidential candidate from Gerindra is closed. Our decision to field Prabowo [Subianto] again [in the election] is final,” he said.

“But if Gatot wants to be a vice presidential candidate, we can talk about that with other parties in the coalition,” he added.

Andre admitted that Gatot’s name was among 15 listed by the party in searching for a possible running mate for Prabowo, who was defeated by Jokowi in the 2014 elections.

The Jakarta Post was unable to reach Gatot for comment.

But on a prominent show, Mata Najwa, aired by national TV channel Trans 7 on March 14, Gatot hinted at his desire to run in the election. He refused to say much as he currently still serves as an active TNI official. He turned 58 years old on March 13 and will officially retire on April 1. “Now I still serve as a soldier, but if one day people want me after I am retired, I am ready,” he said in a response to host Najwa Shihab’s question on his readiness to run for president.

Gatot was considered by his critics to have used religious sentiment and nationalist cards, actively approaching Muslim groups during visits to regions across the country.

Numerous surveys have shown that Gatot is among the top 10 presidential candidates for 2019 in terms of potential. Still, his ranking is not strong enough to catch frontrunner Jokowi and Prabowo, who trailed in second place in most surveys.

His numbers, however, were better in surveys that put him as a vice presidential candidate. Pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), for example, revealed that Gatot was among the top three possible vice presidential candidates, with 12.2 percent of respondents expressing support, following Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Agus Harimurti, son of former president and Democratic Party patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Analysts believed that Jokowi’s decision to replace Gatot before his official tenure ends in March was due to a series of maneuvers that had allegedly irked the President.

Gerindra, the third-largest party in the House of Representatives, currently only forged an alliance with Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). The two had just enough combined seats, with 113, exceeding the minimum 112 seats to field their own presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Political observer Muhammad Qodari from IndoBarometer said it was better for Gatot to appear in a possible third coalition and not for Gerindra considering the similarity of backgrounds between Gatot and Prabowo.

“Gerindra already has Prabowo as its icon,” he told the Post. (sha)