Infighting continues within the Democratic Party with the opposing camps appearing to stand their ground, and despite the government’s denial that it is taking sides, echoes of past struggles over divided leadership suggest that the dispute may go to court.

The opposing camps are split along internal trust lines and led on the one hand by Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the duly elected chairman since the March 2020 party congress, and the other by Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko. The Agus camp is seeking government reaffirmation of the current leadership, while the Moeldoko camp is urging formal recognition of the change in leadership.

Moeldoko has denied any involvement in what the Agus camp has called “an attempted coup”.

Read also: Revolt brews in Democratic Party against Yudhoyono ‘dynasty’

On Monday, Agus presented to the Law and Human Rights Ministry a ministerial decree verifying his chairmanship since last March, as well as the party's constitution and rules of association. The documents were submitted to support his attempt to prove the invalidity and unconstitutionality of the extraordinary congress held last Friday in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, at which Moeldoko was elected the Democrat’s new chairman.

He also presented documents to prove that the majority of the party’s regional executives did not attend the Deli Serdang congress. The heads of regional executive boards have the voting power to elect the party chair.

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