Jakarta. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) announced on Tuesday that it has decided to support Anies Baswedan’s reelection bid as Jakarta governor, just days after the Muslim-based party picked its own executive, Mohamad Sohibul Iman, for the nomination.

PKS Chairman Ahmad Syaikhu said Sohibul will be nominated as Anies’ running mate.

The decision was made after the party sought advice from clerics, scholars, and public figures regarding the Jakarta gubernatorial election, Syaikhu said during the opening ceremony of the PKS Leadership School in Jakarta.

"During the Central Leadership Board meeting on Thursday, June 20, 2024, we decided to nominate Mr. Anies Rasyid Baswedan as the gubernatorial candidate and Mr. Mohamad Sohibul Iman as the vice-gubernatorial candidate," Syaikhu said.

Despite controlling the most seats in the Jakarta Legislative Council, PKS still needs to establish a coalition with other parties to meet the threshold.

Syaikhu added that PKS has communicated with the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) to contest the gubernatorial election, and the response was “positive.”

"The next step is to hold a meeting with the National Awakening Party [PKB]. We are confident that Mr. Anies Rasyid Baswedan and Mr. Mohamad Sohibul Iman are candidates with a significant winning chance,” Syaikhu said.

His remarks contradicted an earlier statement by PKS spokesman Ahmad Mabruri, who had said the party nominated Sohibul for the gubernatorial position in Jakarta.

“As the party that won the legislative election in Jakarta, PKS decided to nominate its best cadre as the candidate for Jakarta governor. Our nominee is Mohamad Sohibul Iman, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the PKS advisory council," Ahmad said on Sunday.

During Sohibul’s leadership from 2015 to 2020, PKS increased its seats in the House of Representatives from 40 to 50 and boosted its popular vote from 8.46 million to 11.49 million, the spokesman noted.