A new survey result from Indikator Politik Indonesia found Prabowo Subianto leading the poll with a razor-thin margin above Ganjar Pranowo. Anies Baswedan, on the other hand, was left even farther behind with a significant margin compared to the previous surveys from the other pollsters.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, a senior politician of Golkar Party, denied a rumor saying he was behind the recent maneuver to replace Airlangga Hartarto and cancel Airlangga’s nomination for the next year’s presidential election through an extraordinary congress (Munaslub) of Golkar. Luhut, however, expressed his readiness to become the chairman of Golkar if the Party’s leaders and cadres want him to lead the Party.

The Military Commander (Panglima TNI) Admiral Yudo Margono will enter his mandatory retirement age on Nov. 26, 2023, only two days before the campaign period of the next year’s simultaneous presidential and legislative elections begins. It means that Yudo has only four months left in active duty. Yudo might even end his term earlier should President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo decide to appoint the new Military Commander before the country enters the 2024 elections campaign period. The question is, who will be appointed by the President as Yudo’s successor?

The Military Commander (Panglima TNI) Admiral Yudo Margono instituted another round of job rotation, which affects 96 high-ranking military officers, including seven territorial commanders. This rotation is truly worth highlighting in light of the next year’s elections and, perhaps, the upcoming succession of the Military Commander as well.

Other than inaugurating the new Minister of Communications & Informatics (ICT), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo also appointed four new vice ministers, including Rosan Perkasa Roeslani and Pahala Nugraha Mansury. Compared to Rosan and Pahala, the two other new vice ministers may not be as well-known, but they’re actually worth highlighting in regard to the next year’s presidential race. The two vice ministers are Saiful Rahmat Dasuki and Paiman Raharjo. Let’s talk about Saiful Rahmat Dasuki in this article.

On July 16, Nasdem, a political party led by media mogul Surya Paloh held an event at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium. Paloh and his presidential nominee, Anies Baswedan, both gave a speech in the event. What’s more interesting to highlight, however, is the presence of some politicians from the Golkar Party in there. The presence of Golkar politicians in the Nasdem-Anies event is truly worth monitoring in relation to the recent situation within the Golkar Party.

Media mogul Surya Paloh, who is also the chairman of Nasdem Party, finally met with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in a one-hour meeting at the State Palace Jakarta on Monday (July 17). The meeting was held a few hours after the President swore in his loyalist, Budi Arie Setiadi, as the new Minister of Communications & Informatics (ICT) replacing Johnny G Plate, former secretary general of Nasdem who is now a graft suspect.