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KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN
The three presidential candidates (from right to left) Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar Pranowo participate in a General Election Commission (KPU) debate at the KPU office in Jakarta on Tuesday (December 12, 2023).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The three pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates once again welcomed voters in areas that could potentially contribute votes. These regions include the supporting political party’s voter base, the voter base in the previous presidential election, or have pockets of strong supportive communities.
From Saturday to Monday (December 23-25, 2023), presidential and vice presidential candidate number 1, Anies Rasyid Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, started his election campaign in Central Java. Muhaimin campaigned in Kudus, Demak, Semarang Regency and Semarang City, while Anies campaigned in Brebes, Semarang Regency, Semarang City and Rembang.
Anies-Muhaimin also received support from supervisors at Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School, Kediri; Al Falah Ploso Islamic Boarding School, Kediri; Tegalrejo Islamic College Boarding School, Magelang; and the Ma’hadul ‘Ulum Asy-Syar’iyyah Rembang Islamic boarding school.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate number 3 Ganjar Pranowo is also campaigning in Central Java, particularly in the Solo metropolitan area. Among other things, Ganjar took part in a rally for cadres of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in Surakarta on Sunday (December 24, 2023). In addition, the former Governor of Central Java held a meeting with the branch’s winning team, potential MPs, coalition parties and volunteers across Sragen on Monday (December 25, 2023).
Meanwhile, presidential and vice presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka has not campaigned for the past two days. After the vice-presidential debate, Gibran campaigned in DKI Jakarta and Manado on Saturday (December 23, 2023). Meanwhile, Prabowo is scheduled to campaign on Tuesday (December 26, 2023) in Aceh, one of the regions where he won the 2019 presidential election.
In his speech in Sragen, Ganjar urged his supporters to retain the votes of voters in Solo Raya to support the PDI-P-sponsored candidate. All administrative officials, cadres and sympathizers were asked to conclude the “bull cage” with the coalition parties. The Solo Raya area is also an attraction for other candidates.
“In Sragen, Solo Raya, it will be solid, God willing. “We just made sure they were already working because of the consolidation before I arrived,” Ganjar said.
In the 2019 elections, PDI-P was the winning political party in Central Java with 5.8 million votes, followed by PKB which came second with 2.7 million votes.
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Anies said that the votes of voters in Central Java are not dominated by just one political party. PKB, one of the political parties supporting Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN), also has no less power than PDI-P in Central Java, being in second place. It is also believed that the people of Central Java are beginning to accept Anies-Muhaimin’s ideas for change, as evidenced by various community groups’ acceptance and enthusiasm for AMIN.
“Last year, when we introduced the concept of change in a place that is not our base (Central Java), it was rejected, firmly rejected, no interest.” “This month before, people rejected, today many people are wearing AMIN -T-shirts,” he said.
KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN
Billboards for presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka installed in Jalan Buncit Raya, Jakarta, on Tuesday (May 12, 2023).
Anies-Muhaimin National Team Advisory Board Member Saiful Huda added that Central Java is an area that is the focus of Anies-Muhaimin’s attention. This is because the PKB has a fairly consistent support base in a number of areas in Central Java, particularly on the north coast and in Islamic boarding schools. The PKB also had quite good experiences in the 2018 Central Java gubernatorial election, when Sudirman Said, who was together with Ida Fauziah, won 41.22 percent of the votes.
“We welcome the return of the nodes that formed the basis of votes in the 2018 gubernatorial election and the 2019 parliamentary election to ensure solid support for Anies-Muhaimin,” he said.
Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team Deputy Chairman Juri Ardiantoro said all regions wanted to be visited because they had the same priorities. However, there are limitations regarding the short campaign period and the state tasks that Prabowo-Gibran still carries out. “All areas are important to visit. “After Aceh, other regions are also waiting for their turn,” he said.
Ensure solidity
Arya Fernandes, head of the Department of Politics and Social Change at the Jakarta Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that strengthening voter solidity in grassroots areas is necessary due to the dynamic changes in the electorate. This is because the election campaign is already underway and several candidates have even started campaigning in opposing regions.
In addition, the course of the presidential and vice-presidential debates also influences decisions. Therefore, candidates must not only focus on growing their following, but also ensure that their “co-op” is closely guarded.
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