The State Palace has given a strong indication that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo — who is predicted to win a second term based on quick count results of the April 17 election — will reshuffle his Cabinet next month.

Presidential spokesperson Johan Budi confirmed on Tuesday that a Cabinet reshuffle may take place “sometime after the Idul Fitri holiday in June”. Idul Fitri is expected to fall on June 4.

“There is a possibility [of a Cabinet shake-up]. After Idul Fitri. There is a possibility,” Johan told The Jakarta Post.

Jokowi, who will end his first term in October, is believed to be planning a reshuffle for a number of reasons: to address concerns about a number of Cabinet members currently under investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), to accommodate members of the opposition camp who wish to join the ruling coalition and to provide a glimpse of his new Cabinet.

If the reshuffle did take place, it would be the fifth over the course of four-and-a-half years of Jokowi’s administration.

Reorganizing his Cabinet members was the President’s own prerogative, Johan asserted, adding that the reshuffle would be based on the result of evaluation of each minister’s performance.

“If [Jokowi] concludes that a number of his ministers are not capable or are caught in criminal cases, the President would not even consider the fact that his administration would end within months to decide [on a reshuffle],” said Johan, a former KPK spokesman who is also seen as a potential Cabinet member.

Speculation has been rife that a reshuffle would likely happen ever since the KPK delved into graft cases implicating three members of Jokowi’s Cabinet.

They are Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin of the United Development Party (PPP) and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita of the Golkar Party, all of whom are suspected of being involved in bribery, though in three separate cases.

Johan said that whether or not the ministers ended up being shown the door depended on the progress of investigation into their respective cases, particularly if the KPK had decided to press charges against them.

The President may also consider removing some of the six Cabinet members running for legislative seats in the recent election, raising further speculation that a cabinet shake-up would likely happen after the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced the final national vote tally of the presidential and legislative elections on May. 22.

Among the ministers are Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri and Lukman.

Members of the ruling coalition have confirmed that a reshuffle would take place before Jokowi’s inauguration.

Three sources from three political parties within the ruling coalition — Golkar, the PPP and the PKB — said the President was waiting for the KPU to officially announce the results of the presidential election before reshuffling his Cabinet. Despite quick count results from credible pollsters concluding Jokowi was the election winner, his contender, Prabowo Subianto, has refused to concede defeat, citing massive and systematic election fraud.

A Golkar Party politician, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the coalition members had been asked to submit several names to replace some serving ministers. Currently, Golkar holds three ministerial posts in the Cabinet, comprising party chairman Airlangga Hartarto as Industry Minister, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita as Social Affairs Minister and senior politician Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan as Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister.

“We have yet to prepare any names. It’s Jokowi’s prerogative.”

A PPP politician who also requested anonymity said the Islamic party had yet to settle on a single name as a potential replacement for Lukman, but party acting chairman Suharso Monoarfa could be on the list.

“Besides him, we still have a number of prominent figures within the party,” the politician said.

The sources said it was possible that Jokowi wanted to reshuffle his Cabinet to maintain “political stability” as several of his ministers had been implicated in corruption cases. They also did not rule out the possibility of Jokowi wanting to make way for members of the opposition camp to join the ruling coalition.

Jokowi has held meetings with high-profile members of the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN), which backed Prabowo in the recent presidential election.

The meetings came amid calls from opposition figures to reject the election results by staging massive protests in Jakarta.

According to the sources, one post may be granted to Agus Harimurti, son of Democratic party chief patron and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Last week, Agus met with Jokowi at the State Palace.

Other than Agus, among the new figures that may fill in the Cabinet positions are Jokowi’s campaign chief Erick Thohir and former West Nusa Tenggara governor Muhammad Zainul Majdi, also known as Tuan Guru Bajang or TGB.

It is unclear if PAN would get a Cabinet seat, they said, because its chief patron, Amien Rais, is an outspoken critic of Jokowi who has called for “people power” to fight against what he has claimed was “election fraud”.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Noory Okthariza said that a reshuffle in the near future would be a strategic decision for the stability of Jokowi’s Cabinet since the ministers were currently in the “wait and see” state as they wondered whether or not they would continue to work with the President or not.

“If Jokowi could make a decision [on the reshuffle] immediately, it would create certainty for the cabinet members themselves,” Noory said.

He went on to say that Jokowi’s move to approach PAN and the Democrats appeared as a tactic to deflate rival Prabowo and his supporters, who have prepared to challenge the election results.

“Whether or not [PAN and the Dems] will join the coalition is yet to be decided, but the most important thing is to create a signal that there is friction in Prabowo’s coalition,” he said.

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