Bandung – West Java gubernatorial candidate Ahmad "Aher" Heryawan and running mate Deddy Mizwar are the most popular pair for the province's top posts, according to the results of a survey.
The survey, conducted by the Center for Policy and Strategy (Puskaptis) from Nov. 12 to 16, revealed that 34.8 percent of the 1,200 respondents would vote for incumbent Governor Aher, who is backed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Of the respondents, 21.2 percent said they would vote for incumbent Deputy Governor Yusuf Macan Effendi, whose running mate is Lex Laksamana, Puskaptis revealed on Sunday.
Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and Teten Masduki were preferred by 15.7 percent of respondents, while gubernatorial aspirant Irianto "Yance" MS Syaifuddin and running mate Tatang Farhanul Hakim were in fourth position with 7.3 percent.
Independent candidate Dikdik Mulyana Arif Mansur and running mate Cecep Nana Suryana Toyib were the least popular gubernatorial hopefuls with only 1.9 percent of respondents saying they would vote for them.
"Swing voters account for 19.1 percent of total respondents," said Puskaptis chairman Husin Yazid.
The deputy governor, who is widely referred to as Dede Yusuf, came first in terms of popularity with 96.4 percent of respondents saying they liked him. Dede was a popular television actor back in the 1990s. Aher's running mate Deddy, a noted actor and director, came second in the popularity stakes with 94.2 percent.
Rieke, who was also a well known actress before turning to politics as a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was the third most popular figure with 93.4 percent. "The popularity of the incumbent governor reaches 92.5 percent," Husin said.
Of the respondents, 88.7 percent were aware of the approaching Feb. 24 election, 6.5 percent said they knew very little about it, while 4.8 percent said they had not been informed about it.
"The West Java General Elections Commission (KPU) has to work hard to inform the public about the election," Husin said. "Political parties, the candidates and local administration also have to chip in." (han)