Jakarta. National Democrat (Nasdem) Party Chairman Surya Paloh has announced his full support for Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) leader Kaesang Pangarep in the 2024 Central Java governor election. This endorsement follows a recent survey indicating that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son is highly electable among the candidates.

The announcement was made during a meeting between Surya Paloh and Kaesang at Nasdem Tower, the party's headquarters in Gondangdia, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday.

"Regarding the regional elections, the chairman is very respectful of the idea of Kaesang running in Central Java," said Nasdem Party DPP Chairman Roberth Rouw, who accompanied Kaesang at the press conference following the meeting.

"Nasdem will give full support to him because we see that Kaesang has a very strong potential for Central Java," Roberth added.

If Kaesang wins, he would follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was elected as the mayor of Solo before becoming the vice president-elect.

Kaesang was seen smiling at Roberth's statement but declined to elaborate on the signals given by Nasdem about his candidacy.

"There have been no serious discussions with Surya Paloh about the Central Java election. He just mentioned it briefly, nothing serious," Kaesang said.

Meanwhile, Golkar Party Secretary General Lodewijk F. Paulus suggested supporting a ticket featuring Central Java Police Chief Ahmad Luthfi and Kaesang in the Central Java gubernatorial election.

However, no official decision has been made since Ahmad Luthfi is still an active police officer. Lodewijk emphasized that Luthfi is an appealing figure due to his significant electability, even though he has not yet been active in politics.

Golkar will wait for Ahmad Luthfi to retire from the police force before making an official endorsement for the Central Java gubernatorial race. Regarding the deputy governor candidacy, Lodewijk mentioned Kaesang Pangarep as a potential choice, although it is still uncertain whether Kaesang will run in Jakarta or Central Java.

A recent Kompas Research and Development survey showed Kaesang Pangarep and Ahmad Luthfi leading in electability for the Central Java gubernatorial race, with 7 percent and 6.8 percent of the vote, respectively.

Following Kaesang and Ahmad Luthfi, the survey results showed Taj Yasin Maimoen with 3.2 percent of the vote, followed by Raffi Ahmad with 2.8 percent, Dico Ganinduto with 2.6 percent, Bibit Waluyo with 2.4 percent, Hendrar Prihadi with 2 percent, Muhammad Yusuf Chudlori with 1.2 percent, Bambang Wuryanto with 1.2 percent, and Sudirman Said with 0.8 percent.

The survey, conducted from June 20 to 25, 2024, involved 500 respondents selected randomly using a systematic stratified sampling method across 35 cities and regencies in Central Java. The survey has a margin of error of approximately 4.4 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent.

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