Jakarta. National Democratic Party (Nasdem) Chairman Surya Paloh confirmed on Thursday that his party will not endorse Anies Baswedan in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Surya said he recently informed Anies of the decision, effectively ending their collaboration that began when Nasdem nominated Anies for the presidency in October 2022.

His comments came during a visit to President-Elect Prabowo Subianto at the latter’s residence in South Jakarta, where he officially declared Nasdem’s intention to join the coalition supporting former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil for the Jakarta election scheduled on November 27.

"I told Mr. Anies, ‘You, my brother, this is not your moment to contest the Jakarta gubernatorial election. Let’s wait for a better opportunity in the future,’" Surya told reporters.

Prabowo warmly welcomed Nasdem’s inclusion in the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which successfully backed his presidential bid in the February election.

At that time, Nasdem led a rival coalition supporting Anies, who lost the presidential race with around 25 percent of the vote.

“I must emphasize that unity is key to the nation’s success, so I warmly welcome Nasdem to our coalition. Let’s work together for our country," Prabowo said during the joint press conference.

Anies, who served as Jakarta governor from 2017 to 2022, will need to find a new coalition of political parties if he insists on running in the Jakarta election. Earlier, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which initially backed his re-election bid, also signaled its intention to withdraw support after Anies failed to secure a coalition partner to meet the threshold.

The Jakarta election requires a political party or coalition to hold at least 22 seats in the provincial legislature. No single party can meet the threshold on its own.

Anies cannot run as an independent candidate because the registration deadline expired last month.

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