Jokowi’s son-in-law Bobby Nasution bids for North Sumatra governor election under Prabowo’s Gerindra party
Analysts believe that his family ties might give the incoming president’s party a boost in the November regional elections, where he could face off against his former party PDI-P.
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s outgoing president Joko Widodo’s son-in-law, Mr Bobby Nasution, will contest for the post of North Sumatra governor as part of president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
The November regional elections will see him potentially facing off against his former party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its candidate, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok.
Mr Bobby officially joined Gerindra on Monday (May 20), after leaving PDI-P in 2023.
"As of today, I immediately became a Gerindra party cadre. Praise God, this registration was immediately accepted by the North Sumatra Gerindra Party," said the 32-year-old, quoted by CNN Indonesia when he made the announcement at the North Sumatra Gerindra office.
Mr Bobby, who is still serving as mayor of Medan, said that his move to contest in the election received the blessing of Mr Widodo - popularly known as Jokowi - as well as from Gerindra itself.
"Yes, of course we as children ask permission from our parents," he said, to reporters at the registration.
Mr Bobby had announced his intention to run in the gubernatorial elections in March. However, back then, he stopped short of giving details on which political parties would back him in the race, according to the Jakarta Post.
Although Gerindra only managed to secure third place in terms of the highest number of votes secured in the February legislative election behind PDI-P and Golkar, analysts believe Mr Bobby's membership in the party could give it an edge in the upcoming gubernatorial election, due to his family status as the incumbent president’s son-in-law.
"His competitors (in the gubernatorial election) should be worried, because they will be up against 'two palaces', namely Merdeka Palace and Hambalang Palace," said Mr Agung Baskoro, a political analyst at the Trias Politika Strategis research institute.
The phrase refers to the national presidential palace and Mr Prabowo's residence in the district of Hambalang, as symbols of the outgoing and incoming presidents' support.
Political analyst Ray Rangkuti from Jakarta-based think tank Lingkar Madani said Mr Bobby's decision to join Gerindra was a move to further cement the ties between Jokowi and Mr Prabowo.
"I suspect that Bobby's joining (Gerindra) is the result of some lobbying from Jokowi to Prabowo. Jokowi asked his son-in-law to get a golden ticket to the nomination for (North Sumatra governor). That's my guess," Mr Ray told CNA.
According to Gerindra North Sumatra chairman, Gus Irawan Pasaribu, if Mr Bobby wins the governor election it could help in ensuring the smooth running of the Prabowo administration’s key programmes for the region.
"Gerindra gives priority to its cadres who are ready to run in the regional election. Bobby is a priority, as he is already a cadre," said Mr Irawan.
But Mr Ray said it takes more than Mr Bobby for Gerindra to win the North Sumatra governor election given that Jokowi is not very influential in North Sumatra and Gerindra is also not dominant compared to other major parties in the province such as PDI-P and Golkar.
For this reason, Mr Ray added, Mr Bobby needs a deputy governor candidate who is from North Sumatra to help raise his popularity, especially among Muslim voters in the area.
"Jokowi already has a lot of support from non-Muslim voters in North Sumatra. Bobby must choose a deputy candidate from outside the Gerindra party, especially someone who represents the Muslim voters," said Mr Ray.
According to analysts, North Sumatra is an important region for Indonesia's national politics as it has the largest voting population - more than 10 million - and the fastest economic growth outside Java.
"Because of its sizeable population, the position (of North Sumatra) will be decisive in a more strategic political context such as in the presidential election,” said Mr Agung.
As a candidate for governor of North Sumatra, Mr Bobby will face off against former North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi and North Sumatra Golkar Chairman Musa Rajekshah who have both declared their candidacy for the November election.
However, one unconfirmed candidate also touted for the race is former Jakarta governor Ahok.
He was Jokowi’s deputy when he was governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. He took over as Jakarta governor in 2014 after Mr Widodo won the presidential election.
Ahok ran in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election against two other candidates: Mr Anies Baswedan, who ran against Mr Prabowo in the February presidential election, and Mr Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The election went into a runoff where he lost against Mr Anies.
Ahok was imprisoned for blasphemy shortly after the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election and released in January 2019.
In addition to being a possible candidate for governor of North Sumatra, Ahok has been touted as a potential candidate for governor of Jakarta.
However, there is no confirmation so far as to whether Ahok will register for either candidacy.
Mr Bobby's career as a politician is still relatively new after previously working as a businessman. In 2020, he joined the then ruling party PDI-P which supported Jokowi.
He was elected mayor of Medan in 2021.
In November 2023, PDI-P fired Mr Bobby after he supported Mr Prabowo and his running mate, Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, in the run-up to the February 2024 presidential election.
After leaving PDI-P, Mr Bobby was rumored to be joining Golkar before finally choosing Gerindra.
According to local media, Mr Bobby said he chose Gerindra because its vision and mission are in line with his though he did not specify what that vision and mission was.
