Indonesia's largest political party, on Wednesday, nominated a cabinet minister as its candidate for Jakarta governor, effectively ending the chance of the early favorite and vocal government critic Anies Baswedan from running. This nomination comes after a week of political drama and protests in the world's third-largest democracy, sparked by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's efforts to consolidate power before he leaves office. These efforts included a proposed revision to election law that would have benefited his youngest son and sidelined Anies.
Following widespread outcry, parliament canceled the tabled legal revisions last week, paving the way for the expected nomination of Anies by Indonesia's Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). However, PDIP on Wednesday nominated cabinet secretary Pramono Anung as its candidate, citing his extensive political experience. The party did not explain why it decided not to back Anies, the city's popular former governor from 2017-2022 and a losing candidate in this year's presidential election.
A coalition of 13 government-aligned parties has registered former West Java governor Ridwan Kamil as its candidate, leaving no other parties to back Anies, who is not a member of a political party. Anies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The high-profile Jakarta governor position, once held by Jokowi, is seen as a stepping stone to the presidency. Recent surveys, including this month, showed Anies had an 8-point lead in the Jakarta contest. Pramono's nomination follows widespread backlash directed at Jokowi and his perceived efforts to shore up his power base before he steps down this October.
