Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto abruptly announced his resignation on Sunday, prompting the party's leadership board to call an emergency meeting to appoint an acting chairman.

This latest development adds to the "unusual circumstances" that have plagued leadership successions in the former ruling party over the past two decades, according to political analyst Adi Prayitno.

"If we observe the general trend, every Golkar party chairman has emerged from a situation that is far from normal. Before Airlangga, Setya Novanto became chairman amid a fierce leadership battle between Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono," Adi said.

He noted that Airlangga rose to the Golkar chairmanship after Setya Novanto became a corruption suspect in 2017.

Looking further back, then-Golkar Chairman Akbar Tanjung, who led the party to win the legislative election in 2004, was succeeded by Jusuf Kalla, who was elected as vice president alongside President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the analyst added.

Airlangga also achieved significant electoral success, with Golkar overtaking the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) to become the second-largest party in the House of Representatives, securing more than 100 seats in the last election.

The Golkar Party nominated Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the running mate for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, and the pair went on to win the presidency in the February election.

From a political perspective, Adi suggested, Airlangga has no compelling reason to step down, especially given the widespread support from Golkar affiliates for his reelection.

"The leadership successions at Golkar have consistently been marked by unusual circumstances. Airlangga's resignation will only extend this pattern," Adi concluded.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/unusual-circumstances-plague-golkar-leadership-successions-for-decade