Embattled Ahok's Approval Rating Rebounds Despite Blasphemy Scandal: Poll
Jakarta. Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's approval rating is rebounding even though he is currently embroiled in a blasphemy scandal which his supporters fear has scuppered his chance for re-election next year. According to a poll released on Thursday, Jakartans still think Ahok's performance as governor warrants him another shot at the capital's top job.
A string of surveys released in November claimed Ahok's approval rating had plummeted as far as 22 percent, placing him behind Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and ahead of Anies Baswedan.
But a poll released on Thursday by the Indonesian Survey Institute, known as LSI, shows Basuki, who was named blasphemy suspect in mid-November and stood in his first trial on Tuesday, is now leading again with an approval rating of 31.8 percent.
Agus' and Anies' approval ratings were 26.5 percent and 23.9 percent respectively, according to the poll that was carried out on Dec. 3 and 11 and involved 800 respondents.
Previous polls suggested that the blasphemy scandal has at least partly damaged Basuki's chance at re-election, but LSI executive director Kuskridho Ambardi said the scandal's effect on voters has started to fade.
"The controversies surrounding the case have begun to lose their effect and the public's attention has shifted to more essential matters," he told the press during the release of the survey, which the LSI claimed has a 3.5 percent margin of error.
"The candidates' performance in holding a public office is becoming once again a dominant factor influencing voters' decision," Kuskridho said.
28 percent of respondents cited "concrete results of work" as a reason to favor a candidate. Basuki gets 60 percent of the votes out of the 28 percent, while Agus and Anies get two percent and six percent.
"But this is actually quite normal. It's easier for Ahok as the incumbent governor to prove that he can do the job," Kuskridho said.
A poll carried out by Charta Politika in mid-November had Agus leading the race for the Jakarta governorship with an approval rating of 29.5 percent, followed by Basuki and Anies with 28.9 percent and 26.7 percent.
Another survey released by Poltracking that month also showed Agus ahead with an approval rating of 27.9 percent, followed by Basuki and Anies with 22 percent and 20.4 percent.
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