PKS Wants Puan Maharani And Anies Baswedan To Head To Head In The 2024 Presidential Election

JAKARTA - The SMRC survey institute released a number of names of the most supported figures to become presidential candidates for 2020. The names that emerged started from Prabowo Subianto, Anies Baswedan, Ganjar Pranowo, and several other names.

However, the Chairman of the DPP PKS Mardani Ali Sera admitted that he wanted the Presidential Election (Pilpres) to be colored by a new-faced presidential candidate. Although it is likely that PKS will carry Anies Baswedan, Mardani also encourages the PDI-P to carry Puan Maharani.

"For the presidential election, once again it is still very early. But Anies is among the highest with Ganjar, for me it would be great if Mbak Puan also progressed even better," said Mardani in a virtual discussion, Thursday, April 1.

Mardani considers that figures who want to advance in political contestation in 2024 must show their faces from afar. That way, the public can have sufficient time to identify the presidential candidate they have chosen.

"Every presidential candidate declares himself from the beginning. Of course this has its pluses and minuses. But best of all, the public doesn't buy a cat in a sack. I appreciate PSI, Mas Giring (Plt Ketum PSI) has declared it. I want it to be like that," he explained.

For legislative matters, Mardani said that currently PKS is fighting for the presidential candidate threshold to drop to 10 percent so that many choices of presidential candidates can contest.

"PKS is still struggling to lower the presidential threshold from 20 percent. We hope only 10 percent. So that way we have many (candidates). Giring can go forward, PKS can go forward," he said.

Previously, the Executive Director of SMRC, Sirojudin Abbas, said that Prabowo Subianto was in the first place for presidential candidate support by 20 percent, if Joko Widodo's name was removed from the survey market. Because, according to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Jokowi is no longer allowed to run as a presidential candidate because the maximum limit for serving is 2 terms.

In addition, Anies received 11.2 percent support. Then, the name Ganjar Pranowo received 8.8 percent support, Sandiaga Uno 5 percent, Ridwan Kamil 4.8 percent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) 4.8 percent, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono 3.5 percent, Tri Rismaharini 3.1 percent, and other names under 3 percent. Then 17.6 percent did not answer.

"In the semi-open question, Prabowo experienced a significant increase in support to 20 percent. Other names also appeared but with a significant difference under Prabowo," explained Sirojudin.

Seeing the results of this survey, Sirojudin said that there are no prominent figures besides Jokowi who have the potential to become presidential candidates.

"Prabowo is at the top but not yet convincing for a figure who has been a candidate twice. His support is only 20 percent in semi-open simulations and it tends not to increase," he said.

This survey was conducted in the period 28 February to 8 March 2021. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,220 randomly selected respondents. The margin of error for this survey is estimated to be around 3.07 percent and the survey's confidence level is 95 percent.