TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto officially declared Sandiaga Uno as his vice presidential candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election. He previously asked Sandiaga to resign from his position as the Deputy Chairman of Gerindra Party`s Board of Trustees.

“I asked him to resign from the Gerindra Party,” Prabowo said at his residence in South Jakarta, Thursday night, August 9.

Prabowo said that Sandiaga’s resignation was needed in order to be accepted by other coalition parties. Sandiaga became a non-party vice presidential candidate so he can be accepted as an independent candidate, the Gerindra chair added.

Read: Prabowo, SBY Discuss Sandiaga Uno as VP Candidate

According to Prabowo, Sandiaga’s resignation is as a form of sacrifice since he had served long enough in Gerindra. Sandiaga’s position in Gerindra was right under Prabowo.

Previously, there was a rumor saying that Sandiaga would be recruited by the National Mandate Party (PAN). However, shortly before the declaration, PAN Chairman Zulkifli Hasan said his party did not require Sandiaga to join PAN in order to run as the vice presidential candidate.

“He [Sandiaga] shouldn’t have to join PAN, what matters is that Sandi is for Indonesia, that’s enough,” Zulkifli said in front of Prabowo’s house, about 45 minutes before the Prabowo-Sandiaga declaration.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI