April 27, 2023
JAKARTA – The Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) is scheduled later on Wednesday to announce its pick for presidential candidate following a national leadership meeting in Yogyakarta earlier this week.
A senior PPP politician said the party was leaning toward endorsing Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its candidate for president for the 2024 presidential election.
Deputy party chairman Arsul Sani said most of the party’s provincial branches had proposed Ganjar as the party’s pick for 2024.
“It should not come as a surprise if we’re leaning toward GP,” Arsul told reporters, referring to Ganjar by his initials.
Arsul also expected that the PPP leadership could come together and agree to have Ganjar as the party’s presidential candidate.
“Don’t let the presidential election divide the party as this can negatively impact our performance in the legislative election,” Arsul said, quoted by Kompas.com.
PPP chairman Muhamad Mardiono is expected to announce the party’s decision later on Wednesday.
In recent months, the PPP has made moves to build closer cooperation with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has announced Ganjar as its presidential candidate.
Mardiono himself has said that an electoral alliance between the two parties was a possibility.
The PPP is a member of the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB), along with fellow pro-government parties the Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).