Two sets of candidates are running for the election. The previously elected mayor, Dzulmi Eldin, had been arrested on graft charges in October 2019.[3]
Akhyar Nasution (Demokrat), acting mayor of Medan and formerly elected as deputy mayor, with provincial legislator Salman Alfarisi (PKS) as running mate.
Akhyar was formerly a member of PDI-P, but left the party due to PDI-P's decision to nominate Bobby for the mayoral race. Outside of PDI-P and Gerindra, Bobby was also endorsed by PAN, Golkar, Nasdem, PSI, Hanura and PPP, while Akhyar was supported by just Demokrat and PKS.[3]
Campaign
Two rounds of public debates between the candidates were held on 7 and 21 November 2020.[4][5]