MEDAN: The Mayor of Medan, Bobby Nasution, has confirmed that he will run for the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) for Governor of North Sumatra on November 27 through the Golkar Party.
President Joko Widodo’s son-in-law stated that regional head candidates from the Golkar Party must go through a selection process, including an electability survey among internal party candidates.
Bobby, who currently has no party membership after being fired by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) last November, is still waiting for his membership in the Golkar Party.
“God willing, so far there hasn’t been (any KTA),” he said as reported by detikNews on Saturday (6 April).
Bobby’s expulsion from PDI-P was announced in letter number 217/IN/DPC-29.B-26.B/XI/2023 which was signed by the Chairman of the PDI-P Medan Branch Leadership Council (DPC), Hasyim, and Secretary Roby Barus.
In the letter, it was stated that Bobby was proven to have violated the code of ethics and discipline for party members so he did not meet the requirements to become a member.
The dismissal of the 32 year old mayor was allegedly related to his support for the candidacy of his brother-in-law Gibran Rakabuming.
The General Chair of the Golkar Party, Airlangga Hartarto, admitted that his party had given Bobby Nasution a letter of assignment to run in the 2024 North Sumatra regional elections.
Apart from that, Golkar also assigned the former Deputy Governor of North Sumatra and Chairman of the North Sumatra Golkar Party DPD, Musa Rajekshah, to accompany Bobby in the regional elections.
“Of course, Bobby was present at the meeting in North Sumatra. He was given an assignment letter and there Musa Rajekshah, Deputy Governor and Chairman of the North Sumatra DPD, was also given a letter,” said Airlangga, quoted by Liputan 6 at the Le Meridien Hotel, Jakarta on Sunday (7 April ).
Airlangga did not provide a definite answer about when Golkar would announce Bobby as a party cadre.
“Of course we will see developments,” he added.
