Jakarta – Indonesia President-elect Prabowo Subianto is likely to get a near-supermajority support in parliament after two parties showed signs of joining his new governing coalition.
The two parties, the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), previously backed Mr Prabowo's opponents, Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar, for the February Presidential Election.
The chairmen of both parties, Mr Surya Paloh of Nasdem and Mr Muhaimin of PKB, met Mr Prabowo within days after the General Election Commission (KPU) on Wednesday (April 24) officially declared Mr Prabowo and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka as winners of the 2024 Presidential Election.
KPU's official confirmation came after the Constitutional Court decision on Monday to reject the election dispute lawsuits by two other presidential candidates Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar Pranowo.
The Constitutional Court declared the lawsuit's allegations of election fraud and interference by President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, to favour Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran, who is also Mr Jokowi' son, as unsubstantiated.
Nasdem's indication to join Mr Prabowo's governing coalition was conveyed by Mr Paloh who met the president-elect on Thursday afternoon in Jakarta. Following the meeting Mr Paloh said that his party would "support the new government under Mr Prabowo Subianto".
Mr Paloh said that it is better to stand in the government's camp for the sake of building a more advanced Indonesia.
"The opportunity, the urge, the desire, the spirit to be with the government, I think it's better. This is my choice. Nasdem's choice," he said as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
"Being in opposition can be at any time, but working to help the government requires a spirit and sincerity of heart and which prioritises objectivity," Mr Paloh added.
Mr Prabowo said communication had also taken place previously between the delegates of his party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), and Nasdem.
"We agreed that we will work together for the greatest interest of the Indonesian people," Mr Prabowo said.
A day earlier, Mr Prabowo was given a red carpet welcome when he met with PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, who was the vice presidential candidate accompanying Mr Anies Baswedan.
Mr Muhaimin told reporters of his party's desire to work with Prabowo as president-elect.
"PKB and Gerindra as parties that have been working together in parliament and in the executive want to continue to work together more productively. This is especially since as president-elect Mr Prabowo will face various challenging agendas to develop Indonesia in the future," Mr Muhaimin said as quoted by Detik.com.
If Nasdem and PKB officially join Mr Prabowo's governing coalition in October, then he is likely to enjoy the support of six of the eight parties that qualify for parliament.
Mr Prabowo's current coalition members are Gerindra, the Democratic Party, Golkar, and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
With the two new parties joining, the six parties will have a total of 63.46 per cent of the parliamentary seats, giving Mr Prabowo's administration a near-supermajority support in the House.
With this grand coalition, Mr Prabowo's government will find it easier to pass his policies in parliament. It will also make it easier to pave the way for him to be re-elected in the next election.
The other two Indonesian parties that qualified for parliament are the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which won over 16 per cent of the vote, giving it the biggest share of seats in parliament. The other party which qualifies is the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which won around 8 per cent of the vote.
The PDI-P was a staunch supporter of President Joko Widodo until the president's son, Mr Gibran, became Mr Prabowo's running mate, marking the departure of the first family from the party.
Both PDI-P and PKS have not yet decided whether to join the coalition or be in the opposition camp. PDI-P will hold a national working meeting in mid-May to decide on its stance towards Mr Prabowo's coalition.