Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently stated that he is considering participating in the Indonesian Unity Party's chairmanship election and may personally run for the leadership position, sparking high interest in his political moves.
The current Unity Party Chairman is Joko's youngest son, Kaesang, but Joko has not yet made a final decision. In an interview with Kompas, he admitted that he is still weighing the pros and cons of running and joked half-seriously: “Imagine if I run and lose?” He also laughed, saying that if he decides to run, “perhaps no one else would dare to stand against him.”
Despite Joko's ambiguous tone, the Unity Party has already expressed willingness. The party’s vice-chairman, Andi, stated: “Anyone who agrees with the party’s philosophy, becomes a member, and meets the conditions, can run, including former President Joko.” However, he also revealed that the party has not yet formally communicated with Joko about this.
Analysts point out that if the Unity Party can secure Joko as its leader, it will help enhance the party's image and electoral competitiveness, especially in winning more seats in the upcoming national elections. Since stepping down as president, Joko has not joined any political party, but the Unity Party is widely seen as his potential political platform.
In December 2023, Joko, along with his elder son, current Vice President Gibran, and son-in-law Bobby, were expelled from the Struggle Democratic Party after publicly departing from its line in the presidential election to support the opposing camp, thus becoming non-partisan figures.
In recent years, although the Unity Party has prided itself as a “progressive youth party”, it has gradually become a steadfast representative of the “Joko faction”. The current party chairman election will be the first to adopt a national party member “one person, one vote” system, forming a stark contrast to other parties where leaders are decided by high-level consultations.
According to the party's constitution, candidates for party chairman must be registered members and obtain support from at least five provincial party branches and 20 city/county level party branches.
The Unity Party announced at its Jakarta headquarters on May 13 that it has started the candidate registration process for the party chairman, with the deadline at the end of this month. The official candidate list will be announced on June 18, followed by campaign activities from June 19 to July 11, and the internal election will be conducted online from July 12 to 19.
The current Unity Party Chairman is Joko's youngest son, Kaesang, but Joko has not yet made a final decision. In an interview with Kompas, he admitted that he is still weighing the pros and cons of running and joked half-seriously: “Imagine if I run and lose?” He also laughed, saying that if he decides to run, “perhaps no one else would dare to stand against him.”
Despite Joko's ambiguous tone, the Unity Party has already expressed willingness. The party’s vice-chairman, Andi, stated: “Anyone who agrees with the party’s philosophy, becomes a member, and meets the conditions, can run, including former President Joko.” However, he also revealed that the party has not yet formally communicated with Joko about this.
Analysts point out that if the Unity Party can secure Joko as its leader, it will help enhance the party's image and electoral competitiveness, especially in winning more seats in the upcoming national elections. Since stepping down as president, Joko has not joined any political party, but the Unity Party is widely seen as his potential political platform.
In December 2023, Joko, along with his elder son, current Vice President Gibran, and son-in-law Bobby, were expelled from the Struggle Democratic Party after publicly departing from its line in the presidential election to support the opposing camp, thus becoming non-partisan figures.
In recent years, although the Unity Party has prided itself as a “progressive youth party”, it has gradually become a steadfast representative of the “Joko faction”. The current party chairman election will be the first to adopt a national party member “one person, one vote” system, forming a stark contrast to other parties where leaders are decided by high-level consultations.
According to the party's constitution, candidates for party chairman must be registered members and obtain support from at least five provincial party branches and 20 city/county level party branches.
The Unity Party announced at its Jakarta headquarters on May 13 that it has started the candidate registration process for the party chairman, with the deadline at the end of this month. The official candidate list will be announced on June 18, followed by campaign activities from June 19 to July 11, and the internal election will be conducted online from July 12 to 19.