Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri is considering Central Jakarta Governor Ganjar Pranowo and Gerindra Party leader Prabowo Subianto as a possible presidential candidate pairing for the 2024 election, according to a State Palace source. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo confirmed his three-hour-long conversation with Soekarnoputri last week included the subject of the upcoming election, adding that he had conveyed his own preferred candidates. While Pranowo has remained a clear front-runner in public polls, Soekarnoputri has been debating whether to nominate him or her own daughter, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani. Ahmad Khoirul Umam, executive director of think-tank the Institute for Democracy and Strategic Affairs, suggested that Soekarnoputri’s public appearance with influential power broker at the State Palace, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the day after her meeting with the President, could indicate she has given the nod to the incumbent’s preferred candidate. Meanwhile, the President is thought to be hedging his bets by not distancing himself entirely from the opposition in the event that he needs their support to preserve his legacy.
