Jakarta. In a recent TV interview, Mohammad Mahfud shared that he received offers to become a running mate in the 2024 presidential election, both from the coalition of presidential candidate Anies Baswedan and directly from rival candidate Prabowo Subianto.

Mahfud said in the interview with media startup Narasi TV on Thursday evening that he promptly declined the offer from the Anies camp but did not give a definitive response to Prabowo.

Mahfud's statement came just a day after he was announced as the running mate for presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, who appeared alongside him in the interview.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a member of the coalition supporting Anies' presidential bid, had approached Mahfud to be the vice presidential nominee.

According to Mahfud, PKS Chairman Ahmad Syaikhu had asked him to become the party's running mate nominee for Anies.

"I immediately declined, not because of personal issues with Anies, but because joining the coalition would lead to one party's withdrawal, and I would be held responsible for the division. My role [as the top political affairs minister] is to ensure the election's integrity," Mahfud said.

He referred to the Democratic Party, which was part of the three-party coalition supporting Anies but insisted on nominating party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as the vice-presidential candidate. Eventually, the Democratic Party left the coalition after Anies chose an outsider as a running mate.

Regarding Prabowo, he indicated an interest in having Mahfud as a running mate on at least two occasions.

"When we met and shook hands at the State Palace, he said, 'Mr. Mahfud, we are approaching the presidential election. We've been together before, so maybe destiny will bring us together again'," Mahfud recalled without specifying the date of the encounter.

Mahfud had served as Prabowo's campaign team head in the 2014 presidential election.

After that meeting, Prabowo visited Mahfud's house and expressed his desire to partner with a prominent figure from the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, such as East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa or Mahfud.

During the interview, Mahfud acknowledged that he might not have been the first choice for a running mate in Prabowo's campaign.

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