The Contest Begins to Crystallize
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.
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).