If elections were held today, Prabowo would be chosen by 26.5 percent of respondents, Ganjar Pranowo would be chosen by 20.5 percent, and Anies Baswedan would be chosen by 14.2 percent of respondents.
By
Kompas Team
·3 minutes read
Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto prepares to attend a working meeting with Commission I of the DPR at the Parliament Building Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (27/1/2022).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A number of public figures have not openly responded to the results of an electability survey conducted by Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas). Nevertheless, communication has begun.
Litbang Kompas held a survey on 17-30 Jan. 2022 to gauge the public preference for potential presidential candidates of the 2024 general elections. The public poll was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents, randomly selected by the stratified systematic sampling method in the country’s 34 provinces, and produced the names of the three top figures with the highest electability.
They are: Gerindra Party general chairman and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. In light of the general elections, Prabowo is the preferred choice of 26.5 percent of respondents, Ganjar is preferred by 20.5 percent of respondents and Anies is the preference of 14.2 percent of respondents.
Gerindra deputy general chairman Habiburokhman observed in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/2/2022) that Prabowo’s electability was rising along with the improving trend in political literacy. The public seemed to find the leadership style of Prabowo, who did not like boosting his image or political gimmicks, to be more appealing.
“With minimal gimmicks, the public is better informed that Pak Prabowo is focused on improving the security sector,” he said. On the other hand, noted Habiburokhman, Prabowo’s role in the government was widely appreciated.
KOMPAS
The Big Three Presidential Candidates according to the Kompas Research and Development Survey
Although Prabowo has not been officially nominated as a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, Gerindra’s central and regional cadres and executives have offered their solid support.
Gerindra is also continuing to communicate with all political parties to explore the possibility of a coalition and to select a running mate for Prabowo. Undeniably, intense communication is being made with parties such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
“The PDI-P is our special partner. We have a long history and friendship,” added Habiburokhman.
Focusing on duties
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo was reserved in his comments on the survey results and instead chose to focus on his duties as governor.
He has consistently shown an increasing trend in his potential electability, from 7.3 percent in April 2021 to 13.9 percent in October 2021 and now, 20.5 percent. Despite his growing popularity, he lags behind Prabowo and increase in his electability in the January 2022 survey was not as high as previously.
Regarding the survey, Ganjar declined to comment, saying he preferred to focus on his responsibilities as Central Java governor.
Contacted separately, political observer Wahid Abdulrahman at Diponegoro University said that Ganjar’s growing electability was different from that of Joko Widodo ahead of the 2014 general elections. Jokowi, who was also a governor at the time, saw his electability skyrocket, whereas Wahid likened the rise in Ganjar’s electability to climbing a staircase.
West Java Governor Ridwan “Emil” Kamil ranked seventh in the Litbang Kompas public poll with an electability of 2.6 percent.
Emil said his electability rate indicated that he was still considered to a potential candidate for the presidency. However, he continued, the survey did not necessarily predict the final outcome, and that anything could happen.
