PDIP’s gubernatorial pair for Banten, the incumbent Rano Karno and his running mate Embay Mulya Syarief, lost the race to their contender by a razor-thin margin. PDIP’s gubernatorial candidate in Babel, the incumbent Rustam Effendi and his running mate Muhammad Irwansyah Sofyan Rebuin, also lost the race by a substantial margin. These are surprising results given that both pairs were considered frontrunners by virtue of their status as incumbet. Some have argued that they both lost the race because of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s blasphemy case. Is this a fair conclusion?To subscribe please click here
