Ganjar Pranowo (right), presidential candidate of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), waves with his running mate, Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, chief security minister, known as Mahfud MD (left), during their declaration in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 18, 2023. (Photo:antaranews.com) Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia officially entered election mode on October 19, with registration open for candidates keen to contest the upcoming presidential polls in February 2024.
Nearly 205 million Indonesians will hit the ballot booths on February 14, 2024 as the country is set to also decide on members of its national, regional and city-level parliaments.
The race is expected to be dominated by three men, including Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, former Governor of Central Java province Ganjar Pranowo and former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
Candidates will also be confirming their running mates for the election, ending months of speculation and political manoeuvring aimed at shoring up alliances and making inroads into new voter territory.
Ganjar, the president pick of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), will be joined on his ticket by respected former judge and current chief security minister Mahfud MD.
Anies, who is trailing in opinion polls, is running with Muhaimin Iskandar, head of the country’s biggest Islamic party, PKB. The party has ties with Nahdlatul Ulama, a moderate Islamic organisation of roughly 40 million members. Prabowa has not announced his running mate./.
