Despite some delays and recent public embarrassments (can you say “Ghost Fleet”?), Gerindra Chairman Prabowo Subianto still seems set to officially announce his presidential candidacy for the 2019 elections in April. While rumors still persist that Prabowo’s candidacy is less than certain, Gerindra officials seem eager to fast forward the narrative to who might be picked as the former general’s running mate.
According to Gerindra Party Deputy Secretary General Andre Rosiade, there are just three names under serious consideration at this point to be Prabowo’s VP pick. And that very short list includes the current governor of Jakarta.
“Insyaallah, Mas Anies [Baswedan] is one of them,” Andre told reporters today as quoted by Detik.
The Gerindra official was reluctant to mention the other two names on that list but confirmed that Anies’s name was ready to be brought before Gerindra and its coalition partner for serious discussion.
So far, Gerindra has formed a partnership with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to support a ticket in 2019. Andre said that PKS would be willing to consider Anies, officially an independent, despite the fact that PKS has already submitted a list of nine of their own party members they want considered for candidacy.
A recent survey by Lembaga Political Communication (Polcomm Institute) asked respondents who they thought would be the best VP for Prabowo. The overall winner was former Indonesian military commander Gatot Nurmantyo, who got the nod from 21.83% of survey takers.
One Gerindra official said last week that Gatot had joined their party as a possible presidential candidate but Gatot quickly responded by saying that he had actually only been invited to join the party by Prabowo during a private meeting but that he had not yet made a decision.
The next most desirable potential Prabowo VPs in Polcomm’s survey were MPR Chairman Zulkifli Hasan, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) and, in fourth place, Anies.
Anies Baswedan was formerly education minister under President Joko Widodo until being dismissed during a cabinet reshuffle. He later ran against former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race in which he received the backing of Gerindra and PKS, although most analysts credit the massive 212 anti-Ahok protests, organized by Islamic hardliners like the Islamic Defenders Front and their leader Rizieq Shihab, with assuring Anies election victory.
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