Teman Ahok expects governor to stay on independent

JAKARTA. Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) said on Wednesday that it expected Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to still run as an independent in the 2017 election, despite receiving support from three political parties.

"We have been focusing on an independent bid since the beginning. We are still preparing administrative documents for registration [as an independent candidate] until Ahok makes the final decision," Teman Ahok spokesman Singgih Widyastono told thejakartapost.com.

The Golkar party, the nation’s second biggest party, and the Nasdem and Hanura parties have thrown their support behind Ahok’s gubernatorial bid. Teman Ahok has collected 1 million pledges of support from Jakarta voters, enough to meet independent candidacy requirements.

The three parties together have 24 seats on the City Council, an adequate number for them to also nominate Ahok as their gubernatorial candidate.

Ahok has announced that Heru Budi Hartono, who currently heads the Jakarta Finance and Assets Management Agency, would run alongside him as his deputy governor candidate. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)