Amy Chew, Jakarta – Indonesia's two main opposition parties have agreed to join forces in local-level politics, cementing an alliance that opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri hopes will carry her to the presidency in November.
Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), which won general elections in June but has yet to be allocated seats, plans to team up with the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) to elect the heads of local legislatures in the main island of Java.
The PKB came third in the June national polls, Indonesia's first free vote in decades. Second was the ruling Golkar party. No party won an outright majority.
"The heads of local parliaments will be elected through voting. We have agreed to support each other in the election process in many areas in Java," PKB secretary-general Muhaimin Iskandar told Reuters on Thursday.
Muhaimin said the pact would probably see the PDI-P heading local governments in some areas and the PKB in others. Political analysts said the alliance would enhance the popular Megawati's bid to oust incumbent President B.J. Habibie.
Megawati forged an alliance with the PKB and the National Mandate Party shortly before the June elections. Since then, the PKB has reaffirmed its support for Megawati, who needs to forge alliances to form a new government or to ensure a presidential victory. But the National Mandate Party has been non-committal.
PDI-P deputy secretary-general Haryanto Taslam confirmed the alliance on Thursday. "Yes. We have such an agreement," he told Reuters.
In November, the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly, which comprises 500 members of parliament and another 200 appointed officials, will choose a president. Of the 200 extra officials appointed to the assembly, 135 will be appointed from local parliaments.
Muhaimin said there was a good chance some of the officials would be drawn from among the heads of the local legislatures.
PDI-P and PKB captured a majority of the votes in Java, the country's power centre. About 80 percent of the population lives there and it is home to the capital, Jakarta, and the country's second-biggest city, Surabaya.
But forecasts suggest the elected parliamentary MPs from the two parties will not be enough on their own to clinch the presidential poll, making it necessary to woo further support.
The election committees at provincial and regency levels are now calculating the number of seats to be allocated to the poll winners in the local parliaments under a complex formula.
University of Indonesia lecturer Arbi Sanit said the alliance would boost Megawati's chance of becoming president.
"This means that more local parliaments will be controlled by PDI-P and PKB. This will increase the strength of PDI-P and PKB in the MPR (People's Consultative Assembly)," the expert said. "Megawati's chances of being elected president will increase because PKB has always said it will support her."
President B.J. Habibie on Tuesday endorsed the results of the poll, after a delay of almost two months. PDI-P was first with 34 percent of the vote and PKB third with 13 percent. The number of seats won by each party in the national parliament is due to be announced next week.