Dinamika Partai Golongan Karya Medan Dalam Kandidasi Calon Walikota Medan 2024

Abstract

This research is grounded in the local political dynamics of Medan, which are heavily influenced by oligarchic power, elite interests, and the city’s diversity that shape voter behavior. Focusing on the Golongan Karya (Golkar) Party in Medan, the study aims to examine the nomination process of mayoral and vice-mayoral candidates in the 2024 local election and to identify the factors considered by the party in decision-making. The theoretical framework emphasizes the role of political parties, coalition building, and political recruitment as instruments of democracy, while the research method employs a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews and document analysis. Thus, the study seeks to demonstrate how Golkar’s internal mechanisms function in candidate selection while also highlighting the tension between pragmatic electoral strategies and the need for more democratic cadre development. The findings reveal that the candidacy process within the Medan Golkar Regional Leadership Council involved stages of candidate screening and selection, which prioritized electability, coalition support, and formal legitimacy from the party’s central leadership. Ultimately, Golkar decided to endorse the Rico Waas–Zakiyuddin Harahap pair through a broad cross-party coalition, despite internal resistance from cadres such as Yasir Ridho, who was not accommodated. The main determining factors included electoral calculations, political networks, personal relations among elites, and changes in the 2024 electoral regulations. This strategy proved effective as the endorsed candidates won the election, though it also exposed internal frictions regarding cadre loyalty. Therefore, the dynamics of Golkar Medan in the 2024 mayoral election underscore the party’s tendency to prioritize pragmatic victories through strategic coalitions rather than strengthening internal cadre development.