Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - General Chairman of Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto stated that the party`s coalition supporting Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is strong enough to ensure victory for the incumbent president in the 2019 presidential election.

"The structure of the coalition is already strong. If more political parties threw their support behind the coalition, it would be better, but they should not do it by force," Hartarto noted in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Hartarto remarked that currently, the parties that have declared support for Jokowi in the 2019 presidential election continue to communicate with others that have not announced their support.

He believes that one or two other parties will extend support to Jokowi.

"Yes, maybe, one or two more parties (will declare support)," Hartarto stated.

Several political parties -- Golkar, PDI Perjuangan, Nasdem, PPP, Hanura, PKPI, Perindo and PSI -- have, so far, expressed support to President Jokowi in the 2019 presidential election.

Party supporters agreed to hold joint discussions on a candidate for the vice presidential post with Jokowi after the simultaneous regional head elections, or Pilkada, were held.

In the meantime, Golkar Party has adopted a firm stance to support its general chairman Airlangga Hartarto as the vice presidential candidate pairing up with Jokowi in the 2019 presidential race.

"There is no rivalry for the post of vice presidential candidate (within Golkar)," Golkar`s honorary member Anwar Arifin stated in Jakarta on Monday.

Arifin noted that until now, the potential for conflict within Golkar was small, where all cadres stand united and solid in supporting Hartarto.

He emphasized that Golkar is a party, with extensive experience to overcome all potential internal conflicts. He noted that so far, all outlooks and views of cadres always refer to the provisions of the articles of association of the party.

"We believe this solidity would be maintained. Hartarto has good qualities, and his chances of leading this nation are high," Arifin remarked.

President Jokowi has yet to decide on whom he will pick as his running mate in the 2019 presidential election.

Several survey institutions have pegged Hartarto as one of the figures to accompany Jokowi in the upcoming presidential election.

Bambang Soesatyo, a senior politician of the Golkar Party, has forecast that President Jokowi is still the favorite to win the next presidential election.

Most poll surveys indicated that Jokowi, in his bid for re-election in 2019, leads over his strongest rival, Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra party.

Bambang Soesatyo, speaker of the House of Representatives, noted that Jokowi is supported by more number of political parties and has maintained a strong lead in terms of his electability.

Support has been officially declared by five parties: the ruling party PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, Nasdem, Hanura, and the United Development Party.

The Nation Awakening Party is a member of the ruling coalition, but it has maintained its stance that it would lend full support to Jokowi if the incumbent were to select Muhaimin Iskandar, its general chairman, as his running mate.

Meanwhile, Subianto only has the support of his party Gerindra and the Islamic Welfare Justice Party.

Democrat Party and the National Mandate Party have yet to decide their position either to join one of the two blocs or to form a third bloc.

"I think it is difficult to form a third axis," Bambang pointed out.



Reporter: Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga
Editor: Suharto
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