Jakarta. Muhaimin Iskandar was all smiles on Saturday as he delivered his acceptance speech after being officially named as the running mate for presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, marking the biggest development yet in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

Muhaimin, the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), had previously been in a rival camp before the news broke that he jumped ship for the political party coalition supporting Anies' presidential bid.

His rise came at the expense of the Democratic Party, whose chairman, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, had aspired to become a running mate since the formation of a three-party coalition back in February.

On Friday, the Democratic Party disavowed the coalition, accusing Anies of being "dishonest" and alleging that fellow coalition partner, the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), had reneged on the promise to make Agus a running mate.

Nasdem Chairman Surya Paloh played a pivotal role in Muhaimin's unexpected entry into the coalition, which also includes the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Muhaimin, who had previously been part of a coalition supporting the candidacy of Prabowo Subianto, described his sudden move to the Anies camp as a "blessing from God."

"This entire process unfolded swiftly and smoothly," Muhaimin said during his speech at a ceremony to launch his partnership with Anies in the city of Surabaya, streamed live by BTV news channel.

He recounted that he had been invited to a meeting with Surya on Monday, and to his surprise, the media mogul offered him the vice presidential nomination alongside Anies.

Muhaimin explained that he welcomed the proposal but required three days to obtain approval from party founders and Muslim clerics in the PKB's advisory council.

"I finally received the blessing from all of them to team up with Anies Baswedan," he said.

Muhaimin claimed to have known Anies since their time as students at Gadjah Mada University in the 1990s. He had studied at the university's social and political faculty while Anies pursued studies at the nearby economic faculty.

Anies welcomed the PKB's arrival, asserting that it would significantly strengthen their coalition for the upcoming election.

"Allow me to welcome the PKB as the newest member of our coalition. With the PKB on board, this coalition will be able to move faster and grow stronger," the former Jakarta governor said.

Muhaimin left the Prabowo coalition after his chance to become a running mate for the defense minister got slimmer with the arrival of two other political parties.
 

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