Jakarta. Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan could be considered the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidate for the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election, provided he first joins PDIP as a member, according to PDI-P's Head of Honorary Affairs, Komarudin Watubun.

The Constitutional Court recently lowered the electoral threshold, allowing individual parties to nominate candidates without the need for a coalition, potentially opening the door for Anies.

Anies now looks to an unexpected ally: PDI-P, the only major party yet to officially endorse a candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial race. In 2017, Anies defeated PDI-P’s candidate, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, in a contentious election marked by sectarian divisions. Ahok, the incumbent governor at the time, was later imprisoned for blasphemy following mass protests led by conservative Muslim groups.

"We expect candidates to be party members," Komarudin said at the PDI-P headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday. "Even members we've nurtured can betray us, let alone those who aren't part of the party."

Komarudin emphasized that PDI-P would prioritize internal candidates for the Jakarta election. The party has several strong figures, including Ahok, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, and House members Eriko Sotarduga and Masinton Pasaribu.

"The decision on who will run lies with our Chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri," he added, assuring that PDI-P would announce its candidate at the right time.

PDI-P's Executive Election Campaign Head, Deddy Sitorus, mentioned that the party might announce a second wave of regional head candidates on Saturday. However, he could not confirm if the Jakarta candidate would be included in this announcement.

Meanwhile, Djayadi Hanan, Executive Director of the Indonesian Survey Institute, suggested that if PDI-P were to nominate Anies, pairing him with Rano Karno would be electorally advantageous, given Rano's popularity in Jakarta and among PDI-P loyalists.

"Rano Karno is widely known, especially in Jakarta, and has a strong support base, including among the Betawi (native Jakartans) community and PDI-P loyalists," Djayadi said on the "Beritasatu Utama" program broadcasted on BTV, Tuesday.

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