Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Recently increased electoral requirements have led several small parties without seats in the legislature to form larger parties or merge with existing parties to field candidates in the 2014 general elections.
Eleven of 29 political parties that failed to meet the parliamentary threshold in the 2009 elections have been gearing up to form a larger party.
"Talks between the parties have been intensifying," Didi Supriyanto of the Democratic Renewal Party (PDP), one of the 11 parties, told The Jakarta Post.
Among the other parties mulling a merger are the Regional Unity Party (PPD), the Patriot Party, the Pioneer Party, the Indonesian Democratic Vanguard Party (PPDI) and the National Sun Party (PMB).
Smaller parties have complained that recently enacted Law on Political Parties has established difficult requirements to field candidates.
The law obliges political parties to have offices in all 33 provinces, in 75 percent of the cities and regencies in each province, and in 50 percent of the districts in cities and regencies before it can run candidates.
Didi, who also chairs the National Union Forum (FPN), a group of 17 non-parliamentary parties, said the law had been deliberately designed to "kill" smaller parties.
"It's a violation of the people's constitutional right to establish political parties," he said. By joining forces, the parties hoped to pool resources to develop the infrastructure needed to meet the law's requirements.
Seven other small parties recently merged with the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, including the Reform Star Party (PBR), the Freedom Party, the Labor Party, the Indonesian Nahdlatul Ulama Community Party (PPNUI), the Marhaenism Indonesian National Party, the Sovereignty Party and the Indonesian Union Party (PSI).
"There are three more parties that are currently engaged in merger talks with Gerindra," the party's chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, said on Sunday during Gerindra's third anniversary celebration in Surabaya, East Java.
Gerindra, an opposition party, is thought to have better financial and structural resources that will make it easier for the party to meet verification requirements. In its first round at the polls in 2009, Gerindra garnered 4.5 percent of the vote and 26 seats in the House of Representatives.
Prabowo, who previously led the Indonesian Army's Special Forces and unsuccessfully ran for vice president under Megawati Soekarnoputri in 2009, said he was optimistic that Gerindra would gain 10 to 12 percent of the vote in 2014 by courting more small parties.
"We have had seven parties merge with us. I am optimistic that this will increase our votes," Prabowo said.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences political observer Lili Romli said parties seeking to merge or join forces should share similar political platforms so their unions would endure.
The FPN and two other non-parliamentary parties have contested the Law on Political Parties at the Constitutional Court, asking the court to annul the law or void an article that strips the parties that failed to meet the parliamentary threshold in 2009 of automatic eligibility to run candidates in 2014.
The first hearing in the parties' judicial review is scheduled for Thursday. Didi said the review would continue despite merger plans. "We are seeking justice at the court, while at the same time preparing for the worst," he said.
Several smaller parties have also asked the Law and Human Rights Ministry to delay the verification process' registration deadline.
The law stipulates that verification must end two-and-a-half years before the next election, meaning parties must fulfill requirements by July or face exclusion from the 2014 election. Smaller parties contend that there is not enough time to meet the requirements.