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JAKARTA – Former presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has secured the backing of leaders from Indonesia’s largest party in Parliament, sources say, in a major boost for his chances at the local government elections in November.
According to party insiders, the Jakarta branch of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has proposed to field Mr Anies, who is not affiliated to any party, as the candidate for Jakarta governor in the upcoming election on Nov 27.
It has also put forward its newly recruited cadre, former armed forces general Andika Perkasa, 59, as a potential running mate for Mr Anies, 55. Meanwhile, the party’s executive committee has suggested MP Adisatrya Suryo Sulisto, 50, as Mr Anies’ running mate, insiders told The Straits Times.
“There were efforts to stifle Anies from getting a ticket for the Jakarta election, but polls show his chances are high and support for him kept coming,” a party insider said on condition of anonymity.
PDI-P, which is helmed by Ms Megawati Soekarnoputri, has yet to officially announce who it will field for the Jakarta gubernatorial election. But backing Mr Anies could again bring it head-to-head with its rival Gerindra, led by President-elect Prabowo Subianto, and his ally, President Joko Widodo.
Indonesia in February held legislative and presidential elections, with PDI-P garnering the largest chunk of the votes, followed by seven other parties that made the cut to be represented in Parliament for five years from October 2024.
Defence Minister Prabowo, backed by President Widodo, won the presidential election after beating his two rivals, Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar Pranowo of PDI-P.