Jakarta. Anies Baswedan is the early frontrunner in the upcoming gubernatorial election in Jakarta as he seeks reelection with support from at least two political parties, according to a survey published on Thursday.

A poll by Indikator Politik Indonesia indicates that Anies is a more popular candidate than potential contenders such as his predecessor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, and former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.

In a hypothetical race involving the three figures, 43.8 percent of respondents said they would vote for Anies, compared to 32.1 percent for Ahok and 18.9 percent for Ridwan.

“Five point three percent of respondents had no opinion or refused to disclose their preference," said Indikator’s lead researcher Burhanuddin Muhtadi.

The survey was conducted from June 18-26, involving 800 eligible voters in Jakarta. Burhanuddin said the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Although Ridwan is ranked last among the three, he remains a worthy challenger to Anies with potential support from Ahok’s base should the latter decline to contest, Burhanuddin said.

"In a hypothetical race between Anies and Ridwan, Ahok’s supporters tend to shift support to Ridwan, significantly reducing the gap between the two to 11 points,” Burhanuddin explained.

The researcher said Ridwan is a more “inclusive candidate” than Anies or Ahok and will become the biggest gainer if supporters from either rival shift their support due to their candidate’s abstention.

"That makes Ridwan a more competitive contender against Anies than Ahok,” Burhanuddin noted.

In addition, Ahok is overshadowed by the blasphemy conviction that put him in prison for nearly two years following the 2017 gubernatorial election, Burhanuddin added.

"The level of support for Ahok will remain flat, and he won’t be able to attract new voters, especially from conservative Muslims in Jakarta," Burhanuddin concluded.