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ollowing the ruling from the Constitutional Court upholding the victory of president-elect Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo in the July 9 presidential election, the ruling Democratic Party said on Friday that it would go into opposition.

Meanwhile, executives of the Golkar Party and the Islamist United Development Party (PPP), both part of losing candidate Prabowo Subianto'€™s coalition, said that they could switch their support to Jokowi.

Democratic Party ethics council chairman Amir Syamsuddin, who is also the law and human rights minister, confirmed the party'€™s stance on Friday, saying that '€œit is consistent with the directives of our chairman. It is more dignified for the party to take up a position as a
counterweight'€.

Amir nonetheless pledged that the Democratic Party would give its support to the new government.

'€œNo one needs to worry. Although the Democratic Party will be outside of the government, we will stick to our promise to support any programs aimed at benefitting the people,'€ Amir said.

Some Democratic Party executives had previously hinted that the party could give its support to president-elect Jokowi, although the final decision regarding the issue would be in the hands of the party chairman, outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Yudhoyono confirmed his party'€™s political stance on popular microblogging site Twitter on Thursday, soon after the court issued its ruling.

From his Twitter handle @SBYudhoyono, Yudhoyono, who claimed to have received text messages saying that he should leave Jokowi alone, said neither he nor the party harbored ambitions to secure political positions in Jokowi'€™s administration.

He said that his plan was to help Jokowi prepare for the transfer of power between the two.

'€œThe Democratic Party will be independent and act as a counterbalance. We do not hunger for power,'€ Yudhoyono said, adding that the party would rebuild itself over the next five years, at the same time as doing more to fight for people'€™s interests.

Just after the ruling was announced on Thursday night, Prabowo campaign spokesman Tantowi Yahya told a press conference that the coalition remained solid and that the Democratic Party would remain in the coalition. No Democratic Party representatives attended the press conference.

Coalition members including Golkar have also insisted they would not leave Prabowo'€™s Red-and-White Coalition, in spite of the court decision which effectively put paid to the Gerindra Party chairman'€™s presidential ambition.

Jokowi '€” who is aiming to gain more leverage in the House of Representatives '€” revealed that discussions were ongoing between his camp and the Democratic Party, as well as Hatta Rajasa'€™s National Mandate Party (PAN).

Vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla, meanwhile, has met with several Golkar executives who are seeking to replace current chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

Following the court ruling, Golkar Deputy Chairman Agung Laksono made a fresh call for the ouster of Aburizal sooner than the scheduled end of his leadership in 2015.

Agung said that the court'€™s ruling had prompted a number of local party leaders to consider switching to Jokowi'€™s camp.

'€œAfter this ruling, any changes are possible,'€ Agung said, adding that he wanted to see Golkar join the Jokowi administration.

PPP deputy chairman Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah also hinted that the party might swing its support behind Jokowi after a national congress scheduled by November at the latest.

'€œIt is possible; it depends on whoever is selected as leader at the next congress,'€ Achmad said.