Juan Ardya Guardiola, Jakarta – The Golkar Party has unexpectedly withdrawn its nomination of senior party member Airin Rachmi Diany for the Banten gubernatorial election, effectively ending its potential collaboration with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
The news surfaced on Sunday as Airin was attending a ceremony to formally declare her candidacy.
A relative and supporter of Airin revealed that newly-appointed Golkar Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia made the surprise decision on the eve of the ceremony. Golkar will instead nominate a rival candidate in coordination with fellow members of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM).
"The recommendation for Airin has been rescinded, and the central leadership board has the authority to make that decision," said Ratu Tatu Chasanah, a member of Golkar's Banten leadership board.
Ratu explained that Bahlil's decision to cancel Airin's nomination was based on a joint agreement among coalition members.
Airin, the former mayor of South Tangerang, will continue her gubernatorial campaign with the endorsement of PDI-P, which will allow her to remain in Golkar without having to switch party affiliations, according to Ratu.
She also noted that Bahlil had granted Airin permission to campaign under the PDI-P banner.
The Advanced Indonesia Coalition was initially formed ahead of the presidential election, successfully backing Prabowo Subianto to a decisive victory.
Since the presidential election, KIM has expanded its membership to include former rivals, with PDI-P remaining the sole exception.
PDI-P is also preparing to contest another key race in Jakarta against a candidate nominated by the remaining major parties, though the party has yet to announce its gubernatorial candidate for the capital.