"We will be back", vows the young Indonesian Solidarity Party, as it looks ahead after being defeated in the recent general election.
o:p>Amid the brouhaha in the aftermath of Indonesia's first-ever simultaneous legislative and presidential elections, one thing is almost certain: The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) will not get into the 2019-2024 House of Representatives.
According to most quick counts, the newcomer, which has billed itself as a party for millennials and has a strong social media presence, gained around 2 percent of the vote, short of the 4 percent needed to obtain seats in the House.
In a statement issued a few hours after polls closed on election day, PSI chairwoman Grace Natalie acknowledged that the party had failed to meet the legislative threshold and thanked supporters, vowing that the party would remain active in Indonesian politics.
"We shall return, soon!" she said.
PSI spokesman and legislative hopeful Dedek Prayudi said that, while the party would evaluate what went wrong in its campaign for the national legislature, it would not compromise on its values.
"What is certain is that we will not move from what we consider to be the ideal," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Since the start of the campaign period last September, the party has been outspoken on issues regarding religious tolerance and minority rights.
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