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pposition to the leadership of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie has gained momentum with a faction within the party now calling for an extraordinary congress to unseat him.

Members of the faction, who include former law and human rights minister Andi Matalatta, former trade minister Fahmi Idris and former speaker of the People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Ginandjar Kartasasmita, supported by leaders of the party'€™s youth wing, also made a call for all Golkar members throughout the country to stage a national congress immediately.

The group said that if Aburizal failed to heed the call for a national congress, it would further press for the convening of an extraordinary congress.

Members of the faction claimed that Aburizal'€™s leadership had set back Golkar'€™s progress, leading to the party'€™s poor performance in April'€™s legislative election.

Aburizal'€™s '€œimmature and irrational'€ decision to support Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Hatta Rajasa; and his arbitrary decision to dismiss three Golkar lawmakers '€” Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Ginandjar'€™s son, Nusron Wahid and Poempida Hidayatulloh for their open support for presidential frontrunner Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, were also cited by the group.

Andi particularly slammed Aburizal'€™s poor leadership skills.

'€œThere were only 12 [political parties] contesting this year'€™s [legislative] election and yet we only got 91 seats, far below the 106 seats we picked up in 2009 when 24 parties contested the election,'€ Andi said.

Ginandjar, meanwhile, warned Aburizal about possible internal rifts. '€œWe hope that members of the central board, who still love the party, listen to us rather than leaving us fighting against our own friends. Holding a national congress before October is the best way for all. Give the congress a chance to evaluate Aburizal'€™s leadership,'€ he said.

He added that the proposal for an extraordinary congress was also on the table.

'€œThere is no other way but an extraordinary congress, if the call for a national congress is ignored,'€ he said, adding that the meeting could take place in August or September.

There is speculation that Coordinating People'€™s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono has been tapped to become the party'€™s new chairman, should Aburizal be replaced.

Ginandjar also hinted at a possible coalition with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) if Aburizal was ousted. '€œJokowi has a vice-presidential candidate [Kalla] from Golkar. I think it'€™s only normal that we hope the party could support it [the PDI-P],'€ he said.

The plan to oust Aburizal was first made public on July 9, hours after several quick counts by credible pollsters showed the Jokowi-Kalla ticket was leading the poll, ahead of the Prabowo-Hatta ticket.

Aburizal'€™s removal could allow Golkar to join a Jokowi-Kalla government, should one come about.

The threat of an extraordinary congress arose the day after Aburizal made his appearance at the declaration of a Prabowo-led '€œpermanent coalition'€ on Monday.

Many within Golkar claim the decision to join the coalition was Aburizal'€™s personal decision.

Soon after the declaration, analysts predicted that the coalition may be short-lived.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s Democratic Party made it clear on Tuesday that it had not joined the coalition.

The Democrats'€™ executive chairman, Syariefuddin Hasan, said he was unaware of the declaration and said party executive Nachrowi Ramli, running mate of losing candidate Fauzi Bowo in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, who was also at the declaration, did not represent the party.

'€œA permanent coalition? I am not aware of such a declaration [...] It is too soon to establish a permanent coalition while we are still waiting for the KPU [General Elections Commission] to announce the winner of the presidential election,'€ he said.