Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – Popularity and competence alone were apparently not enough to assure hopefuls of securing their golden tickets for the upcoming Jakarta governor election.

Some candidates have learned that strong financial resources and endorsement from a political czar are more important than an outstanding leadership track record.

It was not until Prabowo Subianto, chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), threw his weight behind the campaign of Surakarta Mayor and PDI-P politician Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Golkar Party lawmaker Basuki Tjahja Purnama "Ahok" that their candidacy was assured.

Jokowi had failed to convince his own party, which initially favored incumbent Fauzi Bowo, who is a Democratic Party politician, that he was the right man for the job. Ahok decided to leave the Golkar Party to join Gerindra.

A politician from Gerindra told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the party's recent decision to support Jokowi as its gubernatorial candidate was prompted by the personal endorsement of Prabowo, who had established a personal relationship with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician over the past five years.

"Pak Prabowo and Pak Hashim [Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother and Gerindra's key financier] had regularly met and engaged in discussion with Jokowi. They were impressed by the mayor's successful efforts to develop Surakarta and offered him their support to run as a Jakarta governor candidate if he wanted to," the source said.

Prabowo proved his commitment to support Jokowi when he personally met with PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri last week to discuss the possibility of establishing a coalition to endorse Jokowi's bid.

"Pak Prabowo actually did not want to interfere with the PDI-P's internal decision-making process [in the gubernatorial elections] but he finally decided to step in at the last minute after seeing the party's reluctance to endorse Jokowi as their governor candidate," the source said.

The PDI-P is the third-largest party on the city council, with 11 seats, while Gerindra has seven. A party, or a coalition of parties, needs a minimum of 15 seats in order to name a candidate in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which will be held on July 11.

The political fluctuations ahead of the closing of candidate registration on Monday night had also forced some candidates to switch strategy.

After announcing his re-election bid with former army general and PDI-P lawmaker Adang Ruchiatna, incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo made on Monday the decision to endorse the Democratic Party's Jakarta chapter chairman Nachrowi Ramli as his running mate.

Fauzi, who secured endorsement from the Democratic Party, the city's largest party, had to split with Adang, the former head of PDI-P's Jakarta chapter, after the PDI-P's highest executive board decided at the last minute to endorse Jokowi as its gubernatorial candidate.

Before their announcement as governor and deputy governor candidate, Fauzi and Nachrowi hadcompeted with each other to win the endorsement of the Democratic Party. Apart from his leadership track record, Kastorius Sinaga, a Democratic Party executive, said the party had preferred to endorse Fauzi because he was financially more capable than Nachrowi. "Compared to any other candidate, Fauzi has been supported by more businesspeople."

An independent audit conducted at the request of the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) found that the two pairs of candidates in the 2007 Jakarta gubernatorial elections – former National Police deputy chief Adang Daradjatun and running mate Dani Anwar, a city councillor; and former deputy governor Fauzi Bowo with running mate Prijanto, a retired Army general – secured a total of Rp 45.3 billion (US$4.98 million) and Rp 46.9 billion respectively for their campaigns.