BTV, Jakarta – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno goes into standby mode until a presidential candidate asks him to become a running mate.

He is still ranked among the top potential candidates for the running mate in various polls after making a surprise move to leave the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindtra) earlier this month. The latest survey by Kompas even showed him as the most-voted candidate with 11.9 percent of the vote.

In a recent interview with news broadcaster BTV, Sandiaga said he has no control of his candidacy but he is preparing himself to be ready when an offer is in the vicinity.

"My job is to get myself prepared, but it's the party leaders who have the power to select and consider the best nominees for the Indonesian people," Sandiaga said.

He has had mixed results as a ticket mate: winning the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election with Anies Baswedan but losing the 2019 presidential election as a running mate for Prabowo Subianto.

His departure from Gerindra makes it very unlikely that he will again team up with Prabowo, who is nominated by the party for 2024.

His supporters will love the return of an Anies-Sandiaga pairing but he must get the support from three parties behind Anies' nomination, namely the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the Democratic Party.

President Joko Widodo also has named Sandiaga as one of the potential running mates for Ganjar Pranowo, who is nominated for president by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/sandiaga-in-standby-mode-for-2024-veep-nomine