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ival camps in the Golkar Party have come close to securing a truce that would likely put an end to a months-long power struggle, a deal that could allow the party to join the upcoming simultaneous local elections.

The camp of Aburizal Bakrie and that of Agung Laksono have joined peace talks mediated by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, in which both sides have agreed to work on a deal, despite several unresolved differences.

Aburizal and Agung have been vying for control over Golkar and both are expected to sign a peace deal on Friday this week.

In the deal, both camps have agreed to endorse three representatives to sit on a joint team that will be responsible for recruit prospective candidates to represent Golkar in the elections as well as to come up with campaign strategies.

'€œGolkar will be left behind unless we settle this fight. Party members who want to join the local elections will leave us for other political parties if we keep fighting over who could lead the party,'€ said Yorrys Raweyai, a deputy chairman of the Agung-led faction.

Yorrys said as time was of the essence, he suggested that the rival camp not sweat over the details of the agreement.

'€œWe can always discuss details over technicalities as we move along as long as we agree to join the same purpose: saving Golkar,'€ he said.

Supporters of the Aburizal camp have concurred, giving their assurances that although both camps would face problems when registering their agreed candidates with the General Elections Commission (KPU), a peace deal would at least stop the confusion that has affected party members in regions.

'€œWe can work out the details later. The most important issue now is that leaders from both factions agree to reconcile,'€ said Idrus Marham, a supporter of Aburizal.

The ongoing peace talks between Aburizal and Agung are based on four points proposed by Kalla, which are to put the party'€™s interests above personal ones; to set up a joint committee to recruit candidates to contest the elections; to jointly prepare selected candidates who will represent both groups to contest the elections; and to agree on a single-party chairmanship to endorse nominees for the KPU.

Both camps have agreed on the first three points, but have declined to talk about the fourth proposal over concerns that early discussion on the matter will hamper the reconciliation process.

Although he supported reconciliation as the best way to settle the Golkar leadership dispute, political analyst Said Salahuddin of People'€™s Synergy for Democracy in Indonesia (Sigma) considered such an option '€œnearly impossible'€, given the complicated legal and political moves made by Aburizal'€™s and Agung'€™s camps in past months.

As the two camps are now racing against time, Said suggested that the two sides instead focus on jointly proposing an amendment of the local elections law that could provide a '€œwin-win solution'€ for both parties.

'€œThe amendment, for example, could include a new rule that allows two competing factions within infighting political parties, like Golkar, to nominate their own candidates. Should the proposal receive opposition from the other House [of Representatives] factions, Golkar lawmakers can argue that other political parties can do the same thing [nominating two candidates] only if they are facing extraordinary circumstances, like that faced by Golkar,'€ he said.