Coalition Discuses Prabowo's Running Mate On Thursday Night

  Jakarta (Antaranews Jatim) - PAN Deputy General Chairman Hanafi Rais said that the coalition party supporting Prabowo Subianto would discuss his running mate at his residence in Kertanegara, Jakarta, on Thursday night.

"Tonight, we will discuss the vice presidential candidate, probably in Kertanegara," Rais stated, after the closing of the PAN (National Mandate Party) National Meeting IV at Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, on Thursday.

The National Working Meeting IV of PAN decided to support Subianto as its presidential candidate in 2019. According to Rais, Subianto had gained strong legitimacy as he was supported by Muslim scholars or ulemas.

As for the vice president, the National Working Meeting IV of PAN decided to support PAN General Chairman Zulkifli Hasan or the popular Muslim scholar Ustadz Abdul Somad.

If the two are not chosen by Subianto, then the entire PAN cadre will leave the decision to Hasan.

It was earlier reported that Subianto on Thursday is scheduled to declare Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno as his running mate in the 2019 presidential race.  

Gerindra Party Deputy Chairperson Arief Poyuono gave this confirmation when contacted by reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

"Uno is not from Java. It is for the benefit of the Indonesian people. For instance, if AHY (Prabowo picked Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono), then it would be a Javanese-Javanese pair," Poyuono noted.

Democratic Party Politician Andi Arief had earlier accused Gerindra Party of having conducted transactional politics without the knowledge of the Democratic Party.

Arief claimed that what he had said was true and based on accurate data.

The news on transactional politics was shocking, as the Democrats had never betrayed by meeting parties apart from Prabowo's coalition party.

"Hence, I call the general a cardboard. General Cardboard is a general who does not want to think, but money (matters to him)," Arief added.(*)