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Analysis: Prabowo-Gibran's masterplan in motion to avoid run-off
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo arrives in Surabaya, East Java, on Jan. 15, 2024, for a working visit. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
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n the high-stakes arena of Indonesian politics, presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka seem to have made strategic and calculated attempts to secure victory after one round in next month's election. Their most recent bold political maneuver was the much-awaited inclusion of East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa in their campaign team, which many believe will significantly impact their electoral bid. Khofifah's alliance with Prabowo and Gibran will be crucial for the pair to win the battleground in East Java and clinch the presidency in a single round.
Khofifah declared her support for Prabowo's presidential bid and expressed her willingness to contribute to his campaign team on Jan. 10. The incumbent East Java governor has officially been appointed as the director and national campaign spokesperson for the National Campaign Team (TKN) of the Prabowo-Gibran ticket. Campaign chief Rosan Roeslani recalled Khofifah was the one who requested to take the spokesperson job.
Previously, Khofifah was tipped to be Prabowo's running mate, an especially strategic move because of her popularity among millions of followers of the country's largest Muslim group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Khofifah now leads NU's women's organization, Muslimat.
Last year, Prabowo had made attempts to court her, but she declined, citing her focus on her duties as governor. With Khofifah's strategic position, Rosan believes that Prabowo-Gibran could win 65 percent of the votes in East Java.
The alliance between Khofifah and Prabowo-Gibran looks formidable, but rival presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo is far from afraid. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate said he was confident his running mate Mahfud MD, who is also affiliated with the NU and a native of East Java, could rival Khofifah in wooing NU followers.
Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan's running mate, Muhaimin Iskandar, also played down the Khofifah effect. Muhaimin said Khofifah's decision to join Prabowo-Gibran campaign team would not jeopardize his move to appeal to NU voters in East Java.
The campaign team of Prabowo-Gibran is upbeat about the candidate pair's chance of winning the race in one round, notwithstanding Khofifah's decision to jump the bandwagon. A spokesperson for the team, Hasan Nasbi, said the confidence-booster came after the recent publication of the pair's electability rating.
