TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Members of the Great Indonesia Movement Party [Gerindra], have voiced support towards its chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, for yet another presidential bid in 2019.
Gerindra deputy chairman Ferry Juliantono said Prabowo was slated to respond to the plea in a forum in early April. “Hopefully in the first or second week of April,” he said at the Sari Pacific Hotel on Sunday, March 18, 2018.
Reports said Gerindra cadres in multiple regions had thrown their weight behind Prabowo, with the latest being the party’s regional executive board [DPD] in Jakarta. Prabowo, however, has yet to make any official statement on his possible presidential run against President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo next year.
Read: Gerindra: Prabowo`s Candidacy is Final
Ferry said Prabowo’s delayed response was partly due to the party’s focusing on the ongoing regional elections. He added Gerindra also needed extra time for talks with other parties on Prabowo’s nomination.
Gerindra will team up with the Prosperous Justice Party [PKS] for Prabowo’s nomination to meet the presidential threshold of 20 percent legislative seats. Ferry said Gerindra was also open to other parties for the nomination. “We will continue communicating [with other parties],” he said.
VINDRY FLORENTIN
