Hans David Tampubolon – In terms of political survival skills, Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum may have few peers.
Since he took the chairmanship from Hadi Utomo, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's brother-in-law, in 2010, he has emerged relatively unscathed from numerous attempted coups.
Anas' leadership has deepened the divisions within the party over time, igniting infighting and rivalries between factions.
Party sources have repeatedly said that Yudhoyono, the party's founder and chief patron, thought of Anas as the "unwanted leader" and had a preference to see Andi Mallarangeng lead the party instead.
Attempts to unseat Anas started when Muhammad Nazaruddin, a member of his inner-circle, was implicated in a graft case. Nazaruddin, who joined the party in 2008, was then the party's chief treasurer.
As pressure mounted against the graft case, Nazaruddin accused Anas of receiving money from the construction of the SEA Games athletes' village in Palembang, South Sumatra, and from the construction of the Hambalang sporting complex in Bogor, West Java. Anas has repeatedly denied the accusations.
Factions within the party, such as the supporters of Andi, Marzuki Alie and senior politicians who contributed to the founding of the party have pressured Yudhoyono to dismiss Anas.
The pressure culminated in a coordinating meeting in July 2011 that concluded with the party's new code of ethics instead of a demand for Anas' resignation for appointing party officials with dubious backgrounds.
The code of ethics, which says that party members charged in graft cases will be suspended, was widely thought to be a tool for ousting Anas in the future.
However, because the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has yet to charge Anas in connection with any graft cases, his opponents have been left with few other avenues.
Yudhoyono's delicate approach toward Anas is thought to be rooted in concerns that Anas would receive a great deal of public sympathy and the risks associated with potentially alienating the widespread support he enjoyed among the party's regional members.
Political analysts said that it would be hard to topple Anas from the chairmanship due to his extensive networks and close relationships within the party's grassroots.
"Anas, as a chairman, regularly visits the regional branches to maintain communications. His style is more suitable to forging loyalty," Charta Politika political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said.
Efforts to oust Anas were revived early this month. Anas' rivals pointed to a survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) that found the party's electability rate had nose dived from 20 percent to a mere 8 percent.
Concerned by the survey, Yudhoyono told the KPK to immediately clarify Anas' legal status because a lag in the investigation of the graft case might affect the party's image just one year ahead of the election.
Yudhoyono then decided to take over some of Anas' party responsibilities during the party's high assembly meeting so that embattled chairman could fully focus on his legal problems.
The infighting, however, came to an anticlimactic on Sunday when Yudhoyono insisted during the party's national leadership meeting that he never had any intention of ousting Anas.
University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit said that Anas would remain in his position because he had managed to keep regional branch leaders "well-fed and happy" during his tenure.
Arbi also highlighted Anas' background as former chairman of the prestigious Islamic Students Association (HMI) as another reason his seat was safe. Most of the party's regional branch leaders had past affiliations with the HMI.