Indonesian Politics: the Presidential Candidates' Running Mates
Joko Widodo, the presidential candidate of the PDI-P (Indonesia's current largest opposition party and which won the 2014 legislative election last April) may announce his running mate (the vice presidential candidate) on Wednesday (14/05). Newsportal Bisnis.com reported that Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, hinted at this during a brief conversation between Jokowi and journalists on Monday. Names that are frequently mentioned in connection to the position of running mate of Jokowi are Jusuf Kalla and Abraham Samad.
As all political parties that participated in the legislative election were unable to secure 25 percent of the vote, parties need to form a coalition in order to be able to nominate a presidential candidate and vice-presidential candidate. This pair participates in the July presidential election as a fixed inseparable pair and therefore its composition is of high strategic importance. The nomination of Jokowi and his running mate are supported by a coalition between the PDI-P, NasDem and PKB.
If the market is content with the running mate of Jokowi, we might witness another "Jokowi effect" which can cause Indonesian stocks to rally and the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate to appreciate. However, if this effect occurs, it is only temporary as the market is still somewhat disappointed with Indonesia's Q1-2014 GDP growth result (5.21 percent) and economic growth targets of 2014 and 2015. The market is probably most content with Jusuf Kalla as Jokowi's running mate. Despite his old age (71), Kalla - former Vice President of Indonesia and a businessman - is considered right for the job as he has ample experience in economics and business and is relatively popular amongst the Indonesian public throughout the archipelago. The other name (of Jokowi's possible running mate) that circles in Indonesian media is Abraham Samad. Samad is currently Chairman of the country's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
It will also soon be known whether Prabowo Subianto will be a presidential candidate in the election that is scheduled for 9 July 2014. Earlier, it had been reported that Gerindra and Golkar would form a coalition to nominate a presidential candidate. However, both parties contain a leader who harbors presidential aspirations of his own - Aburizal Bakrie (Golkar) and Subianto (Gerindra). Now, news is spreading that a coalition consisting of Gerindra and three Islamic parties (PKS, PAN and PPP) will support a ticket for Subianto to the presidential seat. In this construction Hatta Rajasa, Chairman of the PAN and currently Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, may be the running mate of Subianto.
Indonesian Legislative Election 2014:
| Percentage | Absolute | |
| PDI-P | 18.95% | 23,681,471 |
| Golkar | 14.75% | 18,432,312 |
| Gerindra | 11.81% | 14,760,371 |
| PD | 10.19% | 12,728,913 |
| PKB | 9.04% | 11,298,957 |
| PAN | 7.59% | 9.481.621 |
| PKS | 6.79% | 8,480,204 |
| NasDem | 6.72% | 8,402,812 |
| PPP | 6.53% | 8,157,488 |
| Hanura | 5.26% | 6,579,498 |
| PBB | 1.46% | 1,825,750 |
| PKPI | 0.91% | 1,143,094 |
Further Reading:
• Official Result of the Indonesian Legislative Election 2014 Released
• Joko Widodo Expected to Announce Running Mate for Indonesian Elections
• Golkar-Gerindra Coalition's President: Aburizal Bakrie or Prabowo Subianto?
• Indonesian Politics Update: PKB Approaches PDI-P to Form Coalition
• Parliamentary Election in Indonesia; Overview of Popular Political Parties
• Indonesian Politics
• Analysis of Quick Count Results of the Indonesian Legislative Election 2014
• Can Joko Widodo Accelerate the Democratization Process in Indonesia?
• Indonesia’s 2014 Presidential Candidates; a Profile of Aburizal Bakrie
• Towards Indonesia's Presidential Elections: a Profile of Prabowo Subianto
• The Tough Road of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party towards the 2014 Elections