Parties backing Indonesia's Prabowo close ranks to thwart rival's Jakarta governor bid

Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto gestures as he attends the annual State of the Nation Address at the parliament building, ahead of the country's Independence Day, in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Pool

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Parties backing President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Monday rallied behind a single candidate for governor of the capital Jakarta, effectively killing off chances of his arch rival Anies Baswedan being re-elected to the politically important post.

Their nomination of Ridwan Kamil is widely interpreted as a show of force for Prabowo's big-tent coalition, which now includes parties who initially supported Anies, who was Jakarta governor from 2017-2022 and ran against Prabowo in this year's presidential election.