Surya Paloh Said This To Cak Imin Until He Agreed To Accompany Anies: If We Want To Salaman Or We Don't Have To Meet Until The End Of The Election

Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar attended the political thought of Sunan Ampel at a hotel in Surabaya, East Java, Saturday (9/9/2023). (ANTARA/Fauzi Lamboka)

Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin explained the chronology of himself being able to pair up with the future presidential candidate from the NasDem Party Anies Baswedan. This was revealed by Cak Imin during a visit to the Al Aqobah Islamic Boarding School, Tebuireng, Jombang, East Java, Sunday, September 10. Initially, the General Chairperson of the NasDem Party, Surya Paloh, invited him to meet for dinner "I thought this meeting was an assessment, it was like a matchmaking. There was a process called asking each other questions and seeing opportunities and possibilities," said Cak Imin as quoted by Antara, Sunday night. However, during the meeting there was a long discussion and the conclusion was that NasDem had a presidential candidate, PKB also had a presidential candidate. "I was asked what the PKB is targeting, the target is presidential candidates. What is the target for NasDem, the target is the presidential candidate," he said. Because they both have a presidential candidate target and no one gives in, he added, Surya Paloh concluded that NasDem already has a presidential candidate and PKB is offered the position of vice president candidate. "If you want to shake hands now, if you don't want to, we don't have to meet until the end of the election," said Muhaimin, imitating Surya Paloh's statement again. Muhaimin then promised Surya Paloh to communicate the offer with the Klai and PKB administrators. Muhaimin asked for two days to provide an answer. "Finally, after all the communication was carried out, thank God the kiai agreed. If there are no other candidates, whatever happens, they must run for 2024," explained Muhaimin. After everything is finished, said Muhaimin, NasDem and PKB finally form a coalition and declare the pair Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar (AMIN) as candidates for presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Surabaya on September 2, 2023. Based on the schedule set by the General Election Commission (KPU) of the Republic of Indonesia, the registration of prospective presidential and vice presidential candidates is scheduled to start from October 19 to November 25, 2023. As regulated in Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections (UU Pemilu), pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates are proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the election who meet the requirements for obtaining seats of at least 20 percent of the total number of seats in the DPR or obtaining 25 percent of valid votes nationally in the previous election for members of the DPR.

Currently, there are 575 seats in parliament so that the pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election must have at least 115 seats in the DPR RI. It could also be that the candidate pairs are promoted by political parties or a combination of political parties participating in the 2019 Election with a total valid vote acquisition of at least 34,992,703 votes.