Jakarta, IO – Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto has a very high probability of winning the 2024 presidential election, said executive director of Survey and Polling Indonesia (SPIN) Igor Dirgantara on Monday (25/4). Indeed, the electability of the defense minister is always in the top three, oftentimes in the lead, even though he never appeared on billboards or polished his image through the media.
“Pak Prabowo is focused on his performance, so if you want to see who the potential 2024 presidential candidate is, look at his performance. Presidential candidates in 2024 can no longer rely on image building and dabble in identity politics. In the 2024 elections, the public views that in the previous administrations such as SBY and Jokowi, it does not mean that they failed, but their shortcomings must be alleviated by a candidate who is considered capable of completing the positive programs of the previous administrations,” said Igor.
His electability in the top three actually shows that the public expects Prabowo to run again. Even those with low electability, such as Golkar’s Airlangga Hartarto or PKB’s Muhaimin “Cak Imin” Iskandar were encouraged by their respective parties to join the presidential race.
The burning question is, if Prabowo did not join the Jokowi administration, would his electability be higher or lower than what he has now? “In my opinion, the answer is yes or no, what is clear is that Pak Prabowo will face one thing, namely hatred. For example, in the 2014 presidential election, the issue that was exploited to undermine his electability was human rights. In the 2019 presidential election, the issue was diversity, because Pak Prabowo was perceived as being supported by the 212 movement which is synonymous with anti-diversity. This means that Pak Prabowo will become the target of mudslinging intended to weaken his electability. He will be hit by new issues if he becomes the presidential nominee in 2024,” he explained.
This should no longer be a discourse because of the fact is Prabowo’s electability has always been in the top three. His participation in three elections has earned him a popularity upwards of 100%. Even in the latest survey by Populi Center, the Prabowo’s favorability is very high. And there are institutions that specializes in social media monitoring revealed positive sentiments towards Prabowo.