Ansar Ahmad (born 10 April 1964) is an Indonesian politician who served as the governor of Riau Islands following the 2020 gubernatorial election. He had previously served as a member of the Indonesia’s House of Representatives, and before that he served 10 years as regent of Bintan Regency.
Ansar Ahmad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Riau Islands | |
| Assumed office 25 February 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Isdianto |
| Member of the Indonesia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1 October 2019 – 4 September 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Cen Sui Lan |
| Regent of Bintan | |
| In office 10 August 2005 – 10 August 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 April 1964 Bintan, Riau, Indonesia |
| Political party | Golkar |
| Alma mater | University of Riau |
Early life
Ahmad was born in the town of Kijang, in Bintan Island, on 10 April 1964. He later studied economics at the University of Riau in Pekanbaru.[1]
Career
After graduating, he began to work at the local government of Riau Islands (at the time a regency) as an employee of the regional revenue office. After being promoted several times, he eventually became head of economics in Riau Islands, and in 2000 the municipal council elected him as vice-regent for Riau Islands. As the regent, Huzrin Hood, was removed by the Supreme Court in 2003, Ahmad became the acting regent.[1] He was first elected as Bintan's regent following the 2005 regency election, in a six-candidate race where he won with 32.4 percent of votes, and he was sworn in on 10 August 2005.[2] He was reelected in 2010 and served his second term until its expiry on 10 August 2015.[3] He ran as the running mate of Soeryo Respatiyono during the 2015 gubernatorial elections for Riau Islands, but the pair lost.[4]
In the 2019 legislative election, Ahmad was elected to the People's Representative Council in the Riau Islands electoral district, placing first among other legislature candidates there after securing 45,699 votes.[5] Within the legislature, he was assigned to its fifth commission.[6]
He later was elected governor of Riau Islands in the 2020 gubernatorial elections with Marlin Agustina as his running mate, with the pair winning 39.97% of votes.[7] One of his primary programs is the construction of the Batam-Bintan Bridge, which he endorsed for during his term as a legislator and during campaigning for the gubernatorial election.[8][9]
He is a member of Golkar, and has served as chairman of the party's Riau Islands branch between 2005 and 2020.[10][11]