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PDI-P to decide alliance partners after presidential candidate announcement
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri delivers a keynote speech on Jan. 10 during the party’s golden jubilee event at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. (Screenshot from/PDI Perjuangan YouTube channel)
The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said its decision about whom it would forge an electoral alliance with would be made after the party matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri named its presidential candidate, a move analysts said would likely lead to the creation of another bloc.
The remark was made by PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto amid a plan by other major pro-government parties to build a grand coalition for the 2024 presidential election.
“Any cooperation between PDI-P and other political parties will be carried out after the announcement of the presidential candidate by Megawati at the right moment,” Hasto told The Jakarta Post on Saturday night.
“The PDI-P’s stance is very clear in that it will nominate a party member as a presidential candidate. That is the basis of a partnership that we will seek to forge,” he added.
Political jockeying ahead of the upcoming presidential race intensifies as leaders of pro-government parties announced earlier this month they were weighing on a plan to merge the Golkar Party-led United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) and the Gerindra Party-led Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KKIR) to nominate a unified presidential ticket in 2024. The bloc would consist of five of the seven parties currently supporting President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo: Golkar, Gerindra, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).
The absence of the PDI-P, the party of which Jokowi is a member, during the announcement of the initiative earlier this month, has caused speculation the initiative would isolate the ruling party after what appears to be a clash between Jokowi and his party over Israeli participation in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Gerindra chair Prabowo Subianto said last week his party was open to the idea of PDI-P joining the alliance, noting he was expected to meet with Megawati's daughter and House Speaker Puan Maharani, a PDI-P executive in charge of leading explorations of potential electoral alliances, to discuss the possibility of cooperation.
