AHY Ready to Take Role as Third 2019 Presidential Candidate

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Democratic Party executive Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) said his party is deliberating the possibility of presenting a third alternative for the 2019 presidential election.

However, Agus explained that the Democratic Party must open up a coalition with other political parties in order to do so. “That is to meet the 20 percent threshold parliamentary requirement,” said AHY on Tuesday, March 6.

The current candidates that are strongly considered to run for the presidency in the 2019 election are President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto.

Read: Pollster: Jokowi - AHY Pair Has Highest Electability

Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono explained that he often travels to several regions offering his outlook as a third alternative candidate and fulfill the calling if Democratic Party members request him to run for the presidency. “I express my passion that AHY is a good alternative for the future,” he said. However, he did not mention if it would be realized in the near future.

AHY started his career as a Major in the National Armed Forces (TNI) before resigning from his position to partake in the Jakarta Gubernatorial Election in 2017 where he failed in the first phase.

However, AHY’s electability steadily increased after the gubernatorial election. According to pollster Indo Barometer, his electability is 71.7 percent in March 2018. The Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) rated AHY’s electability to be 71.2 percent.

The electability of AHY is still considered small compared to the other potential presidential candidates. However, Alvara Research Center suggested that there is hope for him to run for the vice presidential candidacy.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani