Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – In a move surprising no one, Prabowo Subianto was re-appointed chairman of the country's largest agrarian group, following a much-derided selection by acclamation that his rivals said was illegitimate and rigged.

The latter went on to hold their own rival congress at which Oesman Sapta Odang was elected the new chairman, although the legitimacy of this congress remains in doubt.

Speaking after his selection on Wednesday at the official Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) national congress in Bali, Prabowo called on his rivals to put their differences aside for the sake of the organization.

"I invite all my detractors to lay aside all their prejudices and come back to the fold to work together to advance the interests of farmers," he said.

He made a reconciliatory offer by naming Jafar Hafsah, his only rival for chairman who did not boycott the congress, to the post of chairman of the HKTI's advisory council, replacing Siswono Yudo Husodo.

"As an agricultural expert and a senior member of this organization, his capabilities are unquestionable and he will do much for the HKTI," Prabowo said.

Jafar, who on Tuesday night joined Oesman and Siswono in denouncing the selection process, said he had since held a long discussion with Prabowo and had accepted his offer.

Prabowo also made reconciliatory calls to rivals Oesman and Siti Hediyati "Titiek" Hariyadi, a daughter of the late former president Suharto, both of whom boycotted the congress.

"I'd like both of them to feature in my plans for the HKTI," he said. "There's no need for friction. We can all achieve so much more if we stand together."

However, rival camps held their own congress on Wednesday, arguing that the congress that selected Prabowo as chairman was illegitimate. Oesman won the vote by a wide margin, notching up 229 votes out of 400.

Both Oesman and his campaign head, Herri Suginaryo, said the official congress's use of an acclamation rather than a vote to select the chairman went against the HKTI's rules.

"In our congress, there was no pressure on the voters or intervention of any kind," Oesman said. "My victory is legitimate because our congress was valid, unlike the other one."

Herri had previously accused Prabowo's camp of rigging the selection from the very start. He also said that the delegates who were allowed to take part in selecting the chairman had not been picked by the association's national executive board.

Joko Edi Abdulrahman, chairman of the HKTI's legal division, agreed that the official congress was not legitimate and said the rival congress met all administrative requirements.

However, Fadli Zon, the secretary of the official congress's organizing committee and a close confidant to Prabowo, insisted the congress was legitimate because the entire proceedings had been unanimously approved by the delegates.