[2] According to electoral regulations, in order to qualify for the election, candidates are required to secure support from a political party or a coalition of parties controlling 10 seats (20 percent of all seats) in the Pekanbaru Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).

[3][4] Candidates may alternatively demonstrate support to run as an independent in form of photocopies of identity cards, which in Pekanbaru's case corresponds to 57,863 copies.

No independent candidates registered with the General Elections Commission by the set deadline.

[6] His two-term vice mayor, PKS's Ayat Cahyadi [id], ran in the 2024 legislative election and won a seat in the Riau DPRD,[7] and has endorsed PKS' potential mayoral candidate Muhammad Ikhsan instead of running for mayor.

[8] The following are individuals who have either been publicly mentioned as a potential candidate by a political party in the DPRD, publicly declared their candidacy with press coverage, or considered as a potential candidate by media outlets: Following the 2024 Indonesian legislative election, nine political parties are represented in the Pekanbaru DPRD:[4]