Fachrul Sidiq, Jakarta – Gerindra Party politician Sandiaga Uno admitted on Sunday that he had met with Democratic Party leader Agus Yudhoyono, in a move to establish a possible coalition for the 2019 presidential election.
Gerindra, which has named its chairman Prabowo Subianto as a candidate to challenge President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has yet to secure support from other parties, pending a consensus to name a running mate.
"This is a coalition that we will try to build, and apparently we share the same views about the current state of the economy. [Agus] said purchasing power is weakened; I said prices are skyrocketing" Sandiaga said.
The Jakarta deputy governor, who is leading a Gerindra team to prepare Prabowo's run, added that he expected another meeting involving the candidate and Democratic Party chairman Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the country's former president and Agus' father.
Recent surveys have placed Agus, the leader of the party's Joint Command (Kogasma) for the 2018 and 2019 elections, among favorites as VP candidate for both Jokowi and Prabowo.
Political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said it was unlikely for Gerindra to join the Democratic Party since the former had allied with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which also wanted to nominate its own member.
"The PKS has insisted on nominating its own members for vice president candidates, who, according to surveys, are not among those that can increase Prabowo's electability," he said.
The PKS has yet to announce support for Prabowo's presidential bid. In February, the PKS announced its own members as potential candidates in the 2019 elections, including West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, senior member Hidayat Nur Wahid and party chief Sohibul Iman. (wit)