Hatta Rajasa Pairs with Prabowo Subianto in Presidential Election?
In Indonesian media it was reported today (13/05) that Hatta Rajasa, the current Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this afternoon. It is speculated that in this meeting Rajasa wil ask permission to resign from his post in order to be able to run as Prabowo Subianto's running mate in the presidential election (9 July 2014). A 2008 law stipulates that ministers need to resign when participating in the election (as presidential or vice-presidential candidate) to avert a possible conflict of interest.
Hatta Rajasa is also the Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN). This party finished sixth in the 2014 legislative election securing 7.59 percent of the vote. Together with the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), which finished third in the election, as well as the PKS and PPP, PAN is expected to form a coalition in order to be able to nominate a presidential and vice-presidential candidate (political parties need at least 25 percent of the popular vote in the legislative election to nominate a pair). The Gerindra-PAN-PKS-PPP coalition will put its support behind Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidate in the election. After today's meeting between Rajasa and Yudhoyono, a press conference will be held.
A new survey, conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia, indicates that Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is still the top favorite to win Indonesia's presidential election. According to the survey, if the election would be held today then Jokowi would secure 31.8 percent of the vote, followed by Subianto at 19.8 percent and Aburizal Bakrie (Chairman of the Golkar) with seven percent. Jokowi is the presidential candidate of the PDI-P, NasDem and PKB coalition. Reportedly, Jokowi will also meet President Yudhoyono today to request for a holiday from his activities as Governor of Jakarta in order to focus on his presidential bid. Contrary to ministers, governors do not need to resign from their posts in this context.
Indonesian Legislative Election 2014:
| Percentage | Absolute | |
| PDI-P | 18.95% | 23,681,471 |
| Golkar | 14.75% | 18,432,312 |
| Gerindra | 11.81% | 14,760,371 |
| PD | 10.19% | 12,728,913 |
| PKB | 9.04% | 11,298,957 |
| PAN | 7.59% | 9.481.621 |
| PKS | 6.79% | 8,480,204 |
| NasDem | 6.72% | 8,402,812 |
| PPP | 6.53% | 8,157,488 |
| Hanura | 5.26% | 6,579,498 |
| PBB | 1.46% | 1,825,750 |
| PKPI | 0.91% | 1,143,094 |
Further Reading:
• Indonesian Politics: the Presidential Candidates' Running Mates
• Official Result of the Indonesian Legislative Election 2014 Released
• Joko Widodo Expected to Announce Running Mate for Indonesian Elections
• Golkar-Gerindra Coalition's President: Aburizal Bakrie or Prabowo Subianto?
• Indonesian Politics Update: PKB Approaches PDI-P to Form Coalition
• Parliamentary Election in Indonesia; Overview of Popular Political Parties
• Indonesian Politics
• Analysis of Quick Count Results of the Indonesian Legislative Election 2014
• Can Joko Widodo Accelerate the Democratization Process in Indonesia?
• Indonesia’s 2014 Presidential Candidates; a Profile of Aburizal Bakrie
• Towards Indonesia's Presidential Elections: a Profile of Prabowo Subianto
• The Tough Road of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party towards the 2014 Elections
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