Jakarta. Bobby Nasution, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s son-in-law, has garnered endorsement from the Golkar Party to vie for the North Sumatra gubernatorial election.

Bobby announced on Friday that he received a "task assignment letter" from Golkar, granting him the option to either seek reelection as Medan mayor or run for the position of North Sumatra governor.

"Golkar has provided me with the assignment letter to either pursue reelection as Medan mayor or run for the North Sumatra governorship," Bobby informed reporters during a visit to a newly inaugurated bus terminal in Medan.

"I have not yet decided whether I will participate in the gubernatorial or mayoral election."

Bobby clarified that he is not obligated to submit his candidacy to the Golkar Party since he has obtained the assignment letter. However, he will require endorsements from several other parties to fulfill the minimum support threshold from incumbent parties necessary to contest the local election.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Bobby was a member until a fallout in October last year, has confirmed that it will not nominate him for the local leadership election slated for November 27.

Bobby was expelled from the PDI-P after endorsing Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who partnered with presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, a rival to PDI-P’s nominee.

Notably, it was the Golkar Party that nominated Gibran as a vice presidential candidate, despite his membership in the PDI-P at the time.

This political maneuver proved strategically advantageous for Golkar, which secured 15 percent of the popular vote in the legislative election, narrowly trailing the PDI-P. Additionally, Gibran and Prabowo clinched the presidential election with 58 percent of the vote.

Golkar Chairman Airlangga Hartarto confirmed earlier this week that he had signed the assignment letter for Bobby and Musa Rajekshah, the chairman of Golkar’s North Sumatra chapter, to contest the local elections.

"I urge these chosen young leaders to demonstrate their proven capabilities and solidify their stance in the local elections. The Golkar Party will continue to monitor and evaluate their electability leading up to the elections," Airlangga said.

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