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Airlangga, Bambang square off for Golkar chairmanship
Airlangga said he would try to win the election with unanimous support but that if Bambang continued with his candidacy and no consensus was reached, there would be a vote.
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Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto (right) shakes hands with People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, who is also a Golkar official, during the opening of Golkar National Meeting in Jakarta on Nov. 14, 2019. ( ANTARA /Muhammad Adimaja)
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rift has emerged in the Golkar party. A month before the party’s national congress (Munas), Bambang Soesatyo, now the speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), is preparing to challenge incumbent party chairman Airlangga Hartarto.
Golkar, the second largest party in the country, will hold its national congress in Jakarta on Dec. 3 to 5 where it will elect a new chairman and discuss several items from its political agenda.
Both Bambang and Airlangga have accused each other of violating the agreement they made before Bambang was elected MPR speaker for the 2019-2024 legislative term.
Both also claim to have secured the majority of the party's support. There are a total of 559 votes in the Munas, consisting of 514 regencies (DPD II), 34 provinces (DPD 1), 10 mass groups under Golkar and one vote from the central executive board (DPP).
"Golkar executives in 33 out of 34 provinces have declared their support for the incumbent," Airlangga said at a dinner meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.
