Central Java, the third largest province in Indonesia, will hold its gubernatorial election this year simultaneously with the other provinces on Nov. 27. The gubernatorial election in Central Java is truly interesting to watch because the tension is believed to be quite high there after a devastating defeat of Ganjar Pranowo, former Central Java governor and a presidential candidate from the ruling party PDIP, to Prabowo-Gibran in the 2024 presidential race in the province.

We’re still nine months away from the 2024 simultaneous regional elections scheduled to be held on Nov. 27, but the tension is already heating up between potential candidates that will run, especially in the Jakarta gubernatorial election. Among them are Ahmad Sahroni, the treasurer of Nasdem, a political party led by media mogul Surya Paloh, and Ridwan Kamil, former governor of West Java and now a deputy chairman of Golkar Party.

Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, held a meeting on Friday, Feb. 23. This is perhaps their very first meeting being disclosed to the public after the election. The meeting is truly worth highlighting in relation to the question of power sharing within Prabowo-Gibran’s coalition and whether Gibran will get a substantial role in the next administration.

Ganjar Pranowo, a losing candidate from the ruling party PDIP, continues to encourage political parties in pushing the House of Representatives (DPR) to use its right of inquiry (Hak Angket) to investigate election fraud allegations. Many wonder whether this maneuver is an attempt to impeach President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Three political parties that were supporting Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar in the 2024 presidential election are ready to join forces with the ruling party PDIP, the leader of a coalition of political parties that were endorsing Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, in pushing the House of Representatives (DPR) to use its right of inquiry (Hak Angket) for investigating election fraud allegations. Will these parties join forces and become the new opposition? Will it really happen?

The real count conducted by the General Election Commission (KPU) as per this morning (Feb. 23) with 62.09 percent of data collected shows Gerindra, a political party led by Prabowo Subianto, at the third position with 13.42 percent of votes, far below the votes that Prabowo secured in the 2024 presidential election. One wonders why the split ticket between Prabowo and Gerindra is so big.

The future of PKB, the largest Islamic party in Indonesia, is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics being discussed in relation to political consolidation after 2024 elections. The current administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the next administration of Prabowo-Gibran will likely want to keep PKB in the ruling coalition regardless of what happened during the election. On the other hand, there are those who expect PKB to join forces with PDIP to become the new opposition instead.

The real count conducted by the General Election Commission (KPU) as per this morning (Feb. 21) with 73.33 percent data collected is pointing to Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s lead with 58.55 percent, pretty much similar to quick count from various pollsters. Meanwhile, Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD only got 24.15 percent and 16.91 percent, respectively. Ganjar, a losing presidential candidate based on the quick count and real count, has not conceded yet and he even came up with the idea of pushing the House of Representatives (DPR) to use its right of inquiry (locally called as Hak Angket). Anies, another losing presidential candidate, couldn’t agree more with Ganjar’s idea. The question is whether their respective coalition of political parties will remain united at the DPR to push for the motion of using inquiry rights. Can they win a political battle at the DPR to pass the motion?