The General Elections Commission (KPU) has finished converting votes from the February legislative election into seats at the House of Representatives, with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) coming out on top.

KPU chairman Mochammad Afifuddin announced on Sunday that the PDI-P, having won some 25.3 million votes, will secure 110 seats at the House for the 2024-2029 sitting period. This accounts for just under 19 percent of the total 580 seats.

The figure is a 3 percent drop from the PDI-P’s existing representation at the House. But the PDI-P is still the biggest party in the legislature, making it eligible for retaining the speakership seat under the prevailing Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law.

Speculation had been rife recently that parties behind the victory of president-elect Prabowo Subianto were seeking to amend the law to give their camp a greater chance of securing the speaker’s seat and increasing their political sway after the change of government. Meanwhile claims from a PDI-P politician alleged that it was outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, nominally a PDI-P member, who might issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to prevent the legislative election winner from influencing the House agenda for the next five years.

Both allegations had been denied by the Palace and pro-Prabowo parties.

Trailing behind PDI-P is the Golkar Party with 102 seats and Prabowo’s own Gerindra Party with 86 seats. Golkar is among key members of the Indonesia Onward Coalition (KIM), while Gerindra is the de facto leader of the alliance.

Both parties put up better performances in the February poll than during the 2019 election, when they won 85 seats and 78 seats, respectively.

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