Jakarta – The United Development Party (PPP), once the sole Islamic party in the country, is in talks with the Crescent Star Party (PBB) about forming an alliance that would enable them to compete against the dominant nationalist parties in the 2014 general elections.

PPP deputy secretary-general Muhammad Arwani Thomafi said Friday that the leaders of the two parties had met several times to discuss the state of political Islam today and its chances of winning elections. "The fusion of PBB to PPP will surely strengthen the PPP and Islamic parties in the next elections," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said the PBB and his party had the same political platforms and that the planned fusion would broaden their constituents. "We are heading in the right direction, a positive direction," he said, adding that PBB founder Yusril Ihza Mahendra had confirmed the merger plan.

Yusril said during a seminar held by the PPP on Thursday that he had encouraged his colleagues in PBB to join the PPP. He argued that it would be easy for his party to pass the verification process to take part in the 2014 polls, but that the party should aim higher. "It should focus on how to compete in 2014, how to make political Islam stronger in the future," he said.

However, PBB secretary-general BM Wibowo said his party had not made an official decision on whether to join the PPP. "We are still waiting for the endorsement of the new election law, to know whether we're going to form a confederation or not," he said.

He confirmed that his party had held several meetings with PPP officials but added that the meetings were informal and aimed at strategizing for the possibility of an increase of the parliamentary threshold from the current 2.5 percent.

The PPP, which has been weakened by long-running internal rifts and was surpassed as the country's largest Islamic party by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), has gained support recently from several Islamic groups.

In February, 120 clerics heading Islamic boarding schools in North Sumatra expressed their willingness to join the party. PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali, who is the religious affairs minister, has been accused of using his influence as minister to lure support from clerics.

The Muslim-based National Awakening Party, which claimed to be supported by clerics grouped under Nahdlatul Ulama, was reportedly alarmed by the PPP's move.