Indonesia ruling party’s presidential candidate to announce running mate

The presidential candidate of Indonesia’s ruling party will announce his choice of running mate on Wednesday, amid last-minute manoeuvring by the country’s political heavyweights to shore up alliances ahead of the 2024 election.
The world’s third-largest democracy is set to vote in February to replace President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, who has served the maximum two terms allowed.
According to Osman Sapta Odang, head of one of four parties backing the ticket, Ganjar Pranowo, 54, of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) will “most likely” pick senior cabinet minister Mahfud MD.
Opinion polls show that Ganjar, a former Central Java governor, is neck-and-neck with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72, who is making a third run at the presidency after having narrowly lost to Jokowi in 2014 and 2019.
Prabowo has yet to announce a running mate, but speculation is rife that he will pair up with Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, especially after a top court issued a controversial ruling on eligibility criteria earlier this week that allows the 36-year-old to run in 2024.