The National Republic Party (Nasrep), founded by the son of former President Soeharto, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, has retracted its registration as a contestant in the upcoming 2014 general elections, Law Human Rights Ministry state administration director Asyarie Syihabudin said on Thursday.
“They did not mention why they decided to step back,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Nasrep was among 10 parties which had yet to complete administrative requirements ahead of the deadline which set on Thursday at 5 p.m.
The ministry has closed registration for new political parties on Aug. 22 but the registered parties were given until Thursday evening to complete the administrative requirements.
The other nine parties were the National Union Party, the One Republic Party, the Republic Party of Struggle, the Satria Piningit Party, the Thariqot Islam Devotee Party of the Islamic State of Indonesia, the Indonesian People’s Awakening Party, the Independent Party, the Indonesian People’s Power Party and Pancasila Democratic Party.
Only four parties had completed the necessary documents as of Thursday afternoon, Asyarie said.
The four parties are the National Archipelago Prosperity Party (PKBN) whose members were formerly National Awakening Party (PKB) politicians, the Nasdem Party founded by former Golkar Party chief patron Surya Paloh, the Functional Republic Party (Pakar) chaired by Soeharto's grand son Ari Sigit, and the Union of Independent People Party (SRI), which supports the nomination of former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati for president.
Nasrep chairman Jus Usman Sumanegara was not available for comment on the decision.
However, rumors have it that the family of Soeharto did not want to have multiple parties and thus selected the Pakar Party as the only party to carry the political aspirations of Soeharto family and its supporters.
The One Republic Party was also founded by Soeharto supporters.
Next week, the ministry plans to commence a random fact-checking program to check whether the parties’ human and physical resources actually meet requirements set out in the 2011 Law on Political Parties.
Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar plans to announce the parties eligible to run in the 2014 elections by the end of October.
