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AKARTA: The National Democrat (Nasdem) Party, which is linked to the mass organization National Democrat, is set to declare itself a political party this week despite criticism from organization members who want to stay out of politics.

Nasdem Party declaration committee chief Sugeng Suparwoto said the announcement would coincide with the organization’s national coordination meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We expect 500 participants at the meeting. The Nasdem Party’s manifesto will be read out during the event,” Sugeng was quoted as saying Sunday by news portal tempointeraktif.com.

He added that former vice president Jusuf Kalla and former first lady Shinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid were scheduled to speak at the event.

Sugeng said the Nasdem Party would deliver the required paperwork to register as a political party to the Law and Human Rights Ministry on Wednesday.

He said the Nasdem Party already qualified as a political party according to the law on the establishment of political parties. The law stipulates that a party needs at least 1,000 members from all provinces, has representatives in 75 percent of the country’s regencies and municipalities, as well as in 50 percent of the country’s districts.

Sugeng said the Nasdem Party already had members in all provinces, regencies and municipalities and in 96 percent of the country’s districts.

“We willll soon have [representatives] in all districts nationwide,” he said.

Sugeng added that the establishment of the Nasdem Party would not disrupt the activities of Nasdem, which was established early last year.

“Nasdem will continue its mass organization activities,” he said, adding that the party’s executive board would also manage the mass organization.