I laud the possibility of women figures for the presidential candidate, despite I believe that a woman vice presidential candidate would be a more viable choice
Jakarta (ANTARA) - An academic has welcomed the possibility of women entering the fray in the 2024 presidential elections in response to a recent survey by a non-governmental organization naming several potential women candidates.

"I laud the possibility of women figures for the presidential candidate, despite I believe that a woman vice presidential candidate would be a more viable choice," Burhan Djabir Magenda, a political science professor at the University of Indonesia, said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.

A recent survey conducted by Akar Rumput Strategic Consulting (ARSC) has indicated Nahdlatul Ulama figure and daughter of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, Yenny Wahid, as one of the potential woman candidates for the 2024 presidential elections.

The survey put the electability of Wahid at 3.14 percent, ahead of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri (2.79 percent), incumbent Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah (1.32 percent), and President Joko Widodo's spouse, Iriana (1.07 percent).

Former Marine and Fisheries Affairs Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and House of Representative Speaker Puan Maharani were also named as other potential women presidential candidates with higher electability than Wahid in the survey.

Despite the survey featuring nine potential women candidates, only Indrawati, Maharani, and Wahid have a high probability of contesting the presidential elections, Professor Magenda highlighted.

"Yenny Wahid and Puan Maharani have strong grassroots support as both represented NU and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) members," he said.

Despite never having participated in electoral politics, Wahid has been active in promoting tolerance among the Indonesian society and hence, is a suitable unifying figure, he remarked adding, she has also gained experience from assisting her father during his presidency.

Indrawati could serve as the running mate of a presidential candidate seeking an economist to accompany their candidacy, particularly to promote economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, the academic pointed out.

Meanwhile, political communication expert at Paramadina University, Hendri Satrio, said that despite recent surveys presenting possible women candidates for the presidential elections, their electability is far lower than male candidates.

The expert noted that in the scenario of a PDI-P victory in the 2024 elections, the party would have the maximum ability to push Maharani to the top office, and she could possibly surpass male candidates' electability.

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Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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