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Analysis: Grand alliance in talks for presidential election
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Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto speaks to reporters on April 2, 2023, joined by leaders of other political parties including Golkar chairman Airlangga Hartarto. (The Jakarta Post/Tempo/Rosseno Aji)
Pro-government political parties are making a move to build a grand alliance for the 2024 presidential election, which, if materialized, will turn the race into a three-way tie as has been widely predicted.
The new alliance will likely amalgamate the Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KIR) consisting of the Gerindra Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB), which comprises the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).
Gerindra’s presidential candidate and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said after an iftar dinner held at PAN’s headquarters the five political parties could join forces to nominate a presidential ticket in the upcoming elections.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the gathering. Conspicuously, the NasDem Party, which backs the nomination of opposition poster boy Anies Baswedan for president, and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has enough seats in the legislative body to go solo in the 2024 presidential race, were absent.
Prabowo said all five political parties represented in the iftar dinner at PAN’s headquarters were on the same page and had agreed to work together. If the alliance is confirmed, Prabowo said it could back a ticket endorsed by President Jokowi, to which Jokowi responded by saying that a coalition between the KIB and the KIR are a good match, although it is still up to the party leaders to decide.
In response to the move, Democratic Party politicians claimed to have been lured by executives of the pro-government parties to join the alliance. Prabowo had conveyed the same request when he met with Democrat chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) in January. However, AHY turned down the offer and chose to support Anies instead.
Democrat spokesperson Herzaky Mahendra Putra said the approach would not work as the party and the Coalition for Change, which also includes NasDem and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), remained solid in nominating Anies. According to Herzaky, the solidity was evident in the formation of a small team assigned to find a running mate for Anies. The team has already shortlisted candidates, but the final decision is up to the former Jakarta governor.
