President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will likely have a stronger grip on the legislative body in his second term in office, with the coalition supporting his defeated rival in the April election officially broken up following a court ruling upholding his reelection.

“As the coalition endorsing [Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno] in the April 17 presidential election, our task as the Just and Prosperous Coalition is complete. Starting today, the [coalition] is over,” Gerindra Party secretary-general Ahmad Muzani told a press conference in South Jakarta on Friday.

Earlier that same day, leaders of political parties in the opposition gathered in a meeting with Prabowo at his residence on Jl. Kertanegara in South Jakarta to decide the fate of their alliance after the Constitutional Court rejected on Thursday its claims that the presidential election had been rigged in favor of the incumbent.

Muzani said Prabowo had given the go-ahead for political parties in the camp to go their separate ways, although the former Army general expressed his hope that communication between them could be maintained.

“At this meeting, we agreed that we will continue to keep contact through coffee morning sessions as an informal medium,” Muzani said. “We would talk about, for example, cooperation in the legislature and other forums that would allow us to get together.”

It is unclear whether three members of the Prabowo coalition — Gerindra, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Democratic Party — would remain outside the ruling coalition.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has been the only one asserting its intention to be part of the opposition to Jokowi’s administration.

PAN and the Democratic Party have shown repeated signs that they would likely be the first to leave Prabowo’s coalition and throw their support behind Jokowi’s administration.

PAN executive Bara Hasibuan asserted on Friday that the party was more than open to joining the government coalition.

“PAN is ready to help and stand behind [the government] until 2024. Our vision is compatible with Jokowi’s,” he said.

Speculation that the Democrats were looking to join the government coalition emerged after Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the son of Democratic Party patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, held two meetings with Jokowi shortly after the election ended.

Agus and his brother Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono even took the time to visit ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri’s residence during Idul Fitri.

Gerindra is also believed to be joining the ruling coalition, with rumors circulating that talks between representatives of Jokowi and Prabowo over a possible alliance have been intensifying in the past few weeks.

Sources from two political parties in the government’s coalition and one from the opposition camp said Prabowo recently met a representative from Jokowi’s camp in Bangkok to discuss the issue, including the allocation of key positions for Gerindra in the future Cabinet.

Jokowi and Prabowo were also reportedly in Bangkok at around the same time last week, when the President attended the ASEAN Summit on Saturday and Sunday.

Muzani, however, downplayed the speculations, saying that the rumor “comes from nowhere”.

“Prabowo has promised that he will consult the parties in his coalition [before making a decision], even though [the parties] have separated,” he said. “A meeting with Jokowi is very strategic, so he would have spoken to the parties if that had happened.”

Sources from two parties in the opposition camp said Gerindra was still divided over whether it should join the government.

While most Gerindra officials reportedly had no misgivings about joining the ruling coalition, another faction — allegedly influenced by some Islamist figures critical of Jokowi and involving PAN Patron Amien Rais — suggested that the party stay in the opposition with the PKS.

PKS executive Mardani Ali Sera has called on Prabowo’s coalition to play a role in providing “constructive criticism” of Jokowi’s administration and serve as “a balancing power” to the government. (dmy)

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