Jakarta. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) officially declared its support for Muhaimin Iskandar as the running mate for presidential candidate Anies Baswedan on Friday, nearly two weeks after the pairing was officially announced.

PKS Chairman Ahmad Syaikhu made the announcement after the party's advisory council approved Muhaimin's candidacy.

"We have decided to accept Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar as Anies's running mate in the 2024 presidential election," Ahmad said at the PKS headquarters in South Jakarta. "This decision aims to dispel any public doubts regarding our stance."

Initially, PKS leaders did not immediately welcome Muhaimin when he was unexpectedly selected by Anies and Surya Paloh, chairman of the coalition partner National Democratic Party (Nasdem), in late August. They cited a lack of prior discussion for such a critical decision.

Muhaimin and his National Awakening Party (PKB) were originally part of a rival coalition that supported Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto's presidential aspirations. 

His unexpected switch caused turbulence within the Anies coalition and led to the Democratic Party's withdrawal. The Democratic Party claimed that its chairman, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, had been promised by Anies himself to be his ticket mate.

Although PKS leaders did not directly confront this surprising development, they did not attend the announcement of the Anies-Muhaimin pairing in Surabaya on September 2.

However, Friday's announcement confirms that Anies continues to enjoy the support of three political parties: PKS, PKB, and Nasdem, despite the Democratic Party's departure.

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