Political observer and Executive Director of Charta Politika, Yunarto Wijaya, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto’s chances of running again in the 2029 presidential election continue to be a hot topic, including the question of who will run alongside him as his vice presidential candidate.

Political observer and Executive Director of Charta Politika, Yunarto Wijaya, believes this scenario depends heavily on the strength of the Gerindra Party in the upcoming political contest.

According to Yunarto, if Gerindra manages to win above 30 percent of the vote, the opportunity to nominate a running mate from within the party will be even greater.

“If Gerindra can truly secure over 30 percent of the vote, perhaps the opportunity to take a bold step will open up,” Yunarto said in the Gercep (Gerak Cerita Politik) podcast on YouTube @HarianKompasCetak, premiering on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

In this context, Yunarto mentioned two names considered to have the best chance of running mate for Prabowo. They are Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

“There’s Dasco, and there’s Sjafrie, with all their pros and cons,” Yunarto said.

He believes both figures have a strong closeness to Prabowo and considerable influence in the national political landscape.

Besides their closeness, Yunarto also highlighted their geographical backgrounds, which he believes could be an added advantage.

Dasco is known to be from South Sumatra, while Sjafrie has roots in Makassar.

“Both of them are not Javanese, so this could be a complementary variable,” he said.

According to him, the non-Javanese factor is often a consideration in national winning strategies, as seen in several previous contests.

However, he also reminded that there are other variables that need to be taken into account, including civilian and military backgrounds.

In his opinion, a pair with a certain combination could be more electorally attractive than a pair with a similar background.

“Is a soldier with a soldier more attractive than a soldier with a civilian?” he asked.

While opening up the possibility of a duet from within Gerindra, Yunarto admitted he doesn’t fully expect such a scenario to occur.

Instead, he encourages the emergence of alternative figures who could bring new color to the 2029 presidential election.

“I still hope there will be alternative candidates,” he said.

He also suggested, that Prabowo consider a more progressive figure if he runs again.

He believes this step could be a breakthrough to address the criticism that has been directed at Prabowo. (Bembo)