Jakarta. Four prominent figures have expressed interest in contesting the Jakarta gubernatorial election as independent candidates and have been granted access to the city’s election commission website to upload the necessary documents and proof of required support.

The four candidates include Dharma Pongrekun, former head of the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN); Sudirman Said, former energy minister; Noer Fajriansyah, commissioner of state-run fertilizer company Petrokimia Gresik; and Poempida Hidayatullah, former House of Representatives member.

“Today marks the deadline for independent candidates to submit proof that they have met the minimum support required to contest,” said Dody Wijaya, a commissioner of the Jakarta General Election Commission, on Sunday.

An independent candidate must garner support from at least 7.5 percent of registered voters in Jakarta, equivalent to nearly 619,000 voters.

“We understand the challenges faced by candidates in meeting this requirement,” acknowledged Dody. However, the decision to provide an extension of the deadline lies with the national headquarters of the General Election Commission (KPU), he added.

At around 4 p.m., Dharma became the sole candidate to submit the required documents.

"The other three candidates haven’t confirmed their arrival at Jakarta’s general election office, but we’ll wait until 11:59 p.m. today," Dody said.

Jakarta is currently led by a presidential appointee after the completion of the term of the previous governor, Anies Baswedan, in 2022. Anies is widely expected to seek reelection during the poll scheduled for November 27.

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