Indonesia's largest party backs minister for Jakarta governor, sidelining favourite

By Ananda Teresia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's largest political party nominated on Wednesday a cabinet minister as its candidate for Jakarta governor, effectively ending the chance of the early favourite and vocal government critic Anies Baswedan of running.

The nomination follows a week of political drama and protests in the world's third-largest democracy over efforts by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to consolidate power before he leaves office, in part via a proposed revision to election law that would have benefited his youngest son and sidelined Anies.

Following widespread outcry, parliament cancelled the tabled legal revisions last week, paving the way for the expected nomination of Anies by Indonesia's Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

But PDIP on Wednesday instead nominated cabinet secretary Pramono Anung as its candidate, which it said was due to his extensive political experience.

It did not say why it decided not to back Anies, the city's popular former governor from 2017-2022 and a losing candidate in this year's presidential election.

A coalition of 13 government-aligned parties has registered former West Java governor Ridwan Kamil as its candidate, meaning there are no other parties left to back Anies, who is not a member of a political party.

Anies did not immediately respond to request for comment from Reuters.

The high-profile Jakarta governor position, once held by Jokowi, is seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.

Recent surveys, including this month, showed Anies had an 8-point lead in the Jakarta contest.

Pramono's nomination follows widespread backlash directed at Jokowi and his perceived efforts to shore up his power base before he steps down this October.

During his presidential bid Anies had alleged the Jokowi administration had unfairly intervened in the campaign, including through widespread pork-barrelling, which the government denied. He unsuccessfully contested the results in court.

(Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Martin Petty)