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Why Formula E could be Anies’ ‘biggest gambit’ before 2024 election
Anies insisted that the Formula E should be held next year.
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Managing director of the Bung Karno Gelora Complex Center (PPK GBK) Winarto explains the circuit route plan for the Formula E auto competition at the complex, in Senayan, Jakarta, Nov. 2, 2020. The management said they were ready to prepare the GBK complex as the chosen Formula E circuit on condition that they would not use the entire 'ring road' of the GBK Stadium, which was commonly used by the public for sports. (Antara /Aditya Pradana Putra)
F
or Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, a potential contender for the 2024 presidential election according to various political surveys, the Formula E electric motorsport championship could be more than just a sporting event.
While doubts linger over the financial and technical feasibility of holding an auto racing competition in the capital amid a prolonged pandemic, analysts say his chances of winning the upcoming election may depend on whether he could successfully hold the international event next year, his final year in office.
Anies will end his term in October next year and cannot extend because the next Jakarta election will only be held in 2024, the same year as the general elections, as stipulated by the 2017 Regional Elections Law. Securing the rights to hold the sporting event, which will be held annually in Jakarta until 2025, could be critical for his political survival, analysts say.
It is no surprise that the sporting event has become a political point of contention.
Failed interpellation attempt
The opposition has strongly opposed Anies’ bid to hold the Formula E next year, arguing that holding such a costly event would only strain the city’s budget amid a health crisis.
