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earning from past fragile and '€œchameleonic'€ coalitions '€” and the need to have a perfect vice presidential candidate as a winning strategy for the  July 9 presidential election '€” political parties that topped the quick counts of the legislative election have acted swiftly in a bid to establish stable and long-lasting coalitions.  

The official results of the April 9 legislative election will not be announced until next month and the presidential election is still three months away, but the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party and the Gerindra Party '€” the top three political parties according to the results of a number of '€œquick counts'€ '€” maneuvered '€œfull steam ahead'€ only hours after the quick-count results were announced last Wednesday evening.

Among the top three contenders, only the PDI-P has secured one ticket of commitment for a coalition with the NasDem Party. The commitment was stated by NasDem chairman Surya Paloh after a meeting with PDI-P presidential candidate Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo at the former'€™s office on Saturday.

A combined legislative election achievement by the PDI-P of 19.24 percent and NasDem'€™s 6.71 percent (according to Kompas'€™ quick count) is more than enough to meet the minimum 25 percent of the popular vote for a party, or a coalition of parties, to nominate a presidential-vice presidential pairing for the July 9 election. However, in its attempt to convincingly win the presidential election, the PDI-P as the initiator needs to secure commitment from two or three more parties. It also must appoint the most suitable and popular vice presidential candidate for Jokowi to ensure a smooth victory.

Meanwhile, Golkar, which named chairman Aburizal Bakrie its presidential candidate, and Gerindra, which
had named chief patron Prabowo Subianto as its candidate for the country'€™s top seat, have yet to strike deals. Unlike the PDI-P, which is in a better position to impose prerequisites for coalition candidates, Golkar and Gerindra, apparently, have to work harder to convince other parties to join them.

For Golkar alone, the problem is much more difficult not only because Aburizal'€™s party leadership is at stake due to its unconvincing results in the April 9 election; but also because at least two of its former chairpersons,  Akbar Tandjung and Jusuf Kalla,  have each expressed their readiness to be vice presidential candidates for parties other than Golkar.

Although there has been some progress in their coalition deals, the top three parties have yet to book concrete deals with potential coalition partners, so as to avoid the same fate as the outgoing Democratic Party-led coalition, which has been fragile and fraught with coalition members that have different stances on key issues and policies.

Only time will tell if any of them can set up a solid and permanent coalition.