The PDI-P may have won the largest share of House seats, but whether it will retain the speakership remains a looming question in the lead-up to the inauguration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who won February’s presidential election after receiving tacit support from former PDI-P member Jokowi.

Speculation has been rife following the February elections that the pro-Prabowo parties are seeking to amend the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, to give their camp a greater chance of securing the speaker’s seat and increasing their political sway after the change of government.

The issue reemerged last week after PDI-P lawmaker Deddy Yevri Sitorus said he received unverified information that a draft government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to revise the law governing the House speakership was now in the works by the Jokowi administration.

Representing the Palace, State Secretary Pratikno recently denied the claim, saying that the government had no plans to issue a Perppu to amend the MD3 Law and describing any suggestions that such a regulation was being devised to undermine the PDI-P as “imaginary”.

Deddy’s allegations have also been repudiated by political parties within Prabowo’s likely ruling coalition, including his own Gerindra Party.

Deputy House speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of Gerindra claimed that PDI-P lawmaker Said Abdullah was the one who first proposed that an amendment plan be included in the House’s list of priority legislation this year. But he said the proposal failed to gain traction among political parties at the House due to concern that it could snowball into “unwanted changes”.