The buildup to the run for presidency is gathering pace nine months before the elections, with Prabowo, Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan persistently in the public’s top three most popular presidential candidates.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
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KOMPAS
From left- Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo.
A Kompas survey in May, which was organized by the publication’s Research and Development division, showed Prabowo's electability at 24.5 percent, followed by Ganjar (22.8 percent) and Anies (13.6 percent). While their electability is subject to fluctuations, they have remained the top-three preferred figures named by respondents as presidential candidates since Kompas first held public polling in August 2020. At that time, Prabowo's electability was 15.7 percent, Ganjar's 5.4 percent and Anies' 8.5 percent.
The three figures have also been endorsed by respective coalitions of political parties to become presidential candidates for the 2024 elections. Prabowo has been supported by the Gerindra Party and the National Awakening Party (PBB), Ganjar by Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P) and the United Development Party (PPP) and Anies by the Coalition of Change-for-Unity, which consists of the NasDem Party, the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
It is relatively difficult to gauge yet who will win the most votes when the three figures step ahead with their candidacy. The electability margins among them remain relatively close, with the gap between Prabowo and Ganjar, supposedly facing each other, being estimated at 2.2 percent with a margin of error of +/- 2.83. Several variables are also expected to weigh on the ever-changing electability level of the three figures in the lead-up to the elections. Those variables include their chosen running mates (vice presidential candidates), the composition of the supporting political parties, as well as their campaign policies and strategies.
These variables can be decisive given the survey results that shows indecision among the three candidates’ sympathizers remains substantial, with indecision surrounding Prabowo at 46.6 percent, Ganjar at 44.8 percent and Anies at 46.5 percent.
It is not surprising then that the candidates have been actively building political power. There is news almost every week about candidates embarking on their political outreach to the grassroots in different regions. Political elites are interacting intensively almost every day across various forms of communications.
Election administrators have yet to enforce regulations to monitor or supervise the political activities related to the 2024 elections as the campaign season has not yet started officially. No candidates have registered as presidential candidates at the General Elections Commission (KPU).
The buildup to polling day has also been marred with black campaigns allegedly launched by candidates, their teams or supporters in various media with so far no scrutiny imposed by the authorities.
This is where candidates and their teams have to show political maturity in the hope that not only can unnecessary polemics and unrest in the community be stemmed, but that candidates' governing duties, either as ministers or regional heads, are not neglected.
It is the time for the public to start seeing into how the candidates and their teams approach their venture for top executive seat, from the way they choose a vice presidential candidate, communicate with grassroots and the public in general, to their consistency in statements and actions. So doing as early as possible, we can do away with potentially missed voting in the upcoming elections.
