Countdown For 2024 Presidential Election Starts As Two Key Candidates Register Their Bids

Two of the three main contenders for Indonesian presidency submitted their applications for the 2024 presidential election today, with incumbent leader Joko Widodo legally prohibited from seeking another term in office.

• Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, the main opposition candidate, was the first one to register his presidential bid together with his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar.
• Former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, supported by the ruling PDI-P party, filed his application soon after, alongside his running mate and top security minister Muhammad Mahfud.
• Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto is expected to join the race, making the 2024 election a three-way contest. He has not yet announced his running mate and has until next Wednesday to register his candidacy.
• Opinion polls are pointing to a tight race between Pranowo and Subianto, with Baswedan coming third. Subianto unsuccessfully ran against outgoing President Joko Widodo twice, in 2014 and 2019.
• Reuters reports that Jokowi "is seeking to retain influence and has been covertly marshalling support for Prabowo, having earlier appeared to have backed Ganjar," despite ostensibly having no involvement in any campaign.
• Indonesia will hold its next presidential election on February 14, alongside the elections for members of the House of Representatives, Regional Representative Council, and local legislatures.