Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the mayor of Solo, is said to be the key to the tough negotiations for the selection of a vice presidential candidate in the Koalisi Indonesia Maju (KIM) coalition. KIM is known to support the candidacy of Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election.
According to Ahmad Khoirul Umam, Executive Director of the Institute for Democracy and Strategic Affairs (Indostrategic), Gibran may be accepted by two parties in KIM, namely Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN). However, he suspects that there will be difficult negotiations because both parties already have their own presidential candidates.
“The presence of Jokowi’s eldest son is considered to be a common ground in the difficult negotiation process in KIM, especially between the tug-of-war between Golkar and PAN who want Erick Thohir,” said Umam.
Meanwhile, Golkar appears to want their chairman, Airlangga Hartarto, to be the vice presidential candidate. In a separate occasion, Gibran admitted that Prabowo had asked him several times to be his running mate.
According to Umam, there is a potential for PDI-P’s support base, which currently supports Ganjar Pranowo, to be divided if Gibran accepts the offer. “Gibran’s vice presidential candidacy could also be a political machine to erode the support base of Ganjar Pranowo in areas controlled by the PDI-P,” he said.
Umam suspects that currently KIM and the coalition supporting Ganjar are still waiting to announce their vice presidential candidates. On one hand, KIM is waiting for the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the legal challenge related to the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
“(While the coalition) supporting Ganjar is still waiting for the decision of Prabowo’s running mate,” he added.
Previously, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi revealed that the Constitutional Court will rule on the legal challenge for the vice presidential candidate selection this week. He claimed that the support of several Jokowi volunteers for Gibran as the potential vice president is not manipulated.
“There is no manipulation. It is what it is. Let’s just wait for the Constitutional Court decision. They say it will be this week,” he said.
In summary, Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s potential candidacy as a vice president candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election has the potential to be a point of contention in the negotiations within the Koalisi Indonesia Maju (KIM) coalition. The decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the legal challenge on the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates and the final decision on Prabowo’s running mate are still awaited.
