Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo received Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leader of the ruling party, on Saturday to discuss major issues facing the country including the 2024 general elections, but there is no word about a potential candidate for the presidential race.

Megawati’s Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, is the only party with enough seats in the House of Representatives to nominate a candidate without establishing a coalition.

PDI-P executive Ganjar Pranowo, who is also the Central Java governor, is currently leading all major polls for the president but Megawati has repeatedly said she is not in a hurry to announce a candidate.

Jokowi, also a PDI-P man, has publicly shown his support for Ganjar’s candidacy on several occasions but so far he wasn’t able to convince the chairwoman.

During the three-hour meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, the president and Megawati discussed a wide range of topics from foreign policies in the face of heated geopolitical rivalries, programs to boost the country’s performance in science, research, and innovations, and the ambition for self-sufficiency in food, PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto said in a statement.

"Of course, the 2024 general elections also became a hot topic during the discussion," Hasto added.

Megawati has hinted at announcing the party’s candidate in June, about four months before the General Election Commission formally opens registration for presidential candidates and their running mates.

Only a party or a coalition of parties with at least 20 percent of House seats can nominate a candidate.

The country’s election law doesn’t allow an independent candidate to participate in the presidential election.

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