The Golkar Party, the second largest party in the ruling coalition, is weighing a proposal to merge the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) and the Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KKIR), the two major alliances of pro-government parties that cover five of seven members of the ruling coalition. The former comprises Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), while the latter ties together the Gerindra Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB). 

The KIB has yet to formally nominate a presidential candidate, but has listed Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as one of its potential nominees, while the KKIR is likely to field Gerindra leader Prabowo Subianto.

‘Still very dynamic’

The Golkar Party is not ruling out the merging of the KIB and the KKIR to create a political bloc, Golkar Party’s executive Ace Hasan Syadzily said, adding that the party would continue its political communication with other parties until the closing day of the presidential election registration in November this year. 

“Since the beginning, the KIB has been very open to the possibility of forming an alliance with other parties or established political alliances other than the KIB […] Before that any changes could still happen,” said Ace, who heads the Golkar chapter in West Java. "It is still very dynamic and, of course, the authority to determine the who and the how [regarding nomination and coalition building] rests with the party leaders.”

Speculations of ruling parties using a “big tent” strategy to contest in the 2024 presidential polls emerged after PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar flirted with the idea of building a big-tent alliance and stitching a political bloc together with Golkar.