Jakarta. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is considering nominating Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, popularly known as Risma, for the upcoming gubernatorial election in East Java, where former Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa is seeking reelection with the support of all but two incumbent political parties.

Speaking to the BTV network in a recent interview, PDI-P spokesman Chico Hakim said the party is trying to prevent an uncontested election in East Java.

Khofifah’s candidacy has received endorsements from seven incumbent parties and a smaller party, leaving only PDI-P and the National Awakening Party (PKB) as potential challengers.

“We want the best for the people of East Java. We should avoid competition between a sole candidate and blank votes, considering the complexity of issues facing East Java and its large, highly diverse population. Public aspirations won’t be represented if there is only one candidate,” Chico said.

He noted that PKB and PDI-P are the largest political parties in East Java, so it’s natural for them to nominate a different candidate.

Risma was the mayor of Surabaya, the capital of East Java, before her ministerial appointment.

"She is a worthy candidate due to her nationwide popularity. We are considering nominating her not just for East Java, but also for other provinces. The final decision will be made by Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri," he said.

PKB has proposed its own candidate, Muslim cleric Marzuki Mustamar.

"We are still in discussions about who will become the gubernatorial candidate and the running mate. Our focus is to select our own candidate first," Chico said.

"PDIP and PKB are conducting surveys to select competitive candidates capable of challenging Khofifah and Emil [Dardak],” he said, referring to the former East Java vice governor who is once again Khofifah’s running mate.