Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have become the latest to jump on the bandwagon of Joko Widodo, the Jakarta governor and front-runner for the 2014 presidential election.
Firman Subagyo, a member of Golkar's central leadership board, said on Friday that the party was set in its decision to nominate its chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, for the presidential race, but was still looking for a suitable running mate.
"As for Joko, there have definitely been a few proposals from some of our regional chapters to nominate him [for vice president], but at this point they're just proposals," Firman said.
"We're open to all figures from all backgrounds who want to become our vice presidential candidate, as long as they share the same ideology and vision as us."
He added that this included figures from other parties, including Joko, who is from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
However, Firman noted that Aburizal had his own shortlist of prospective running mates that he was currently considering, and that the party would carry out a series of surveys before determining who would be the most suitable vice presidential candidate.
Speaking in Malang, East Java, last week, Aburizal did not discount the possibility of having Joko as his running mate, but said that the final decision on his partner would ultimately be up to Golkar.
He also pointed out that it was not certain that Joko would want to join the Golkar ticket or that he shared the same ideology as the party.
Meanwhile, a senior official from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has also expressed interest in having Joko run on the party's ticket next year.
M. Idris Luthfi, a member of the PKS's consultative council, its highest decision-making body, said on Friday that the country's biggest Islamic party was "enchanted" by Joko's stellar rise. He added that while the consultative council had not formally discussed the issue of the party's candidate, there was a good chance it might back Joko.
"Ever since he won the gubernatorial election in Jakarta last year, he's shown that he can make sweeping changes through his various policies," Idris said.
"He's both extremely popular with the people and a hard worker. We would definitely nominate such a candidate."
The PKS and Golkar are the latest parties to raise the possibility of nominating Joko in next year's election, in the wake of a poll last month that put him well ahead of other more established politicians.
The survey by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed that 29 percent of the 1,600 respondents polled said they would vote for Joko, ahead of Prabowo Subianto, a retired Army general and previous front-runner, at 16 percent.
The PDI-P has also indicated it could nominate him, while the ruling Democratic Party and Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) have also named him as a possible presidential and vice presidential nominee, respectively.