Jakarta. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has announced its decision to nominate its own candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, declining to join the coalition supporting Ridwan Kamil, a party executive said on Monday.

Ridwan, the former West Java governor, has received endorsements from four incumbent parties known as the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM), originally formed to back Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto's presidential bid. The coalition aims to expand its partnerships under the so-called KIM+ to bolster Ridwan's campaign.

PDI-P, which needs to collaborate with other parties to meet the threshold for nominating a gubernatorial candidate in Jakarta, currently prefers to pursue a different strategy.

"For the Jakarta election, we will have our own nominee, God willing," said Said Abdullah, a member of PDI-P's central leadership board.

The original coalition comprises the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the Golkar Party, the Democratic Party, and the National Mandate Party (PAN). It is open to expansion, potentially including rival parties like the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Abdullah emphasized that rivalries in Jakarta do not preclude PDI-P from partnering with coalition members in other regions. He noted that PDI-P has teamed up with the Golkar Party for the Banten gubernatorial election, nominating Golkar executive Airin Rachmi Diany for governor and PDI-P cadre Ade Sumardi as her running mate.

"At some point, Golkar chooses to be with PDI-P as it cannot collaborate with its coalition partners because every city and every province have their unique dynamics," Abdullah said.

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