Rieka Rahadiana & Neil Chatterjee – Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo indicated he is open to other parties joining his coalition as signs of discord appear in opponent Prabowo Subianto's camp with a week until official results are released.

Joko, known as Jokowi, has a lead of 2 to 6 percentage points based on unofficial tallies after the July 9 vote. Joko has a coalition of four political parties while Suharto-era general Prabowo, 62, who says vote counts conducted by companies he uses for guidance show him in the lead, is backed by six parties.

"Whoever wants to join together to build the nation and state of Indonesia, why not?," Bisnis newspaper's website quoted Jakarta Governor Joko, 53, as saying in Semarang in central Java on July 13. Official results from the election commission are due by July 22.

The comment suggests a change of tack as Joko's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known as PDI-P, aimed before the election for a maximum of four parties in its coalition. While a diverse group could make agreeing on policy changes more difficult, a larger coalition could make it easier for Joko to pass laws in parliament should he win. The rupiah has gained 1.6 percent this month as investors bet on a Joko victory leading to less red tape and corruption in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Golkar, the country's second-largest party and a key member of Prabowo's coalition, may change sides to Joko, Zainal Bintang, a deputy chairman of its advisory board, said in an interview on July 10. If Golkar were to switch, it would give Joko's coalition 53 percent of parliamentary seats.

Legal challenge

Prabowo's coalition will challenge the official election results to the constitutional court, the country's highest, if its legal team has gathered the evidence to do so, he told reporters yesterday. "It's not in our scenario," Prabowo said. "We're very confident that we're going to win."

Prabowo yesterday sought to project unity as his party, Gerindra, signed a "permanent coalition" pact with parties including Golkar. He said the pact showed he would be able to run a stable government.

Prabowo and running mate Hatta Rajasa, who heads another party in his coalition, the National Mandate Party or PAN, should know they have lost and be resigned to the result, the Jakarta Post newspaper quoted PAN founding member Abdillah Toha as saying in an open letter to the pair.

Golkar

"If say Golkar and PAN were to defect to Prabowo now, they'd receive some form of compensation, but not full coalition participation as the parties that nominated Jokowi," said Marcus Mietzner, associate professor at the Australian National University in Canberra and author of "Money, Power and Ideology: Political Parties in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia."

Joko may not accept Golkar if it comes to the negotiating table with current chairman Aburizal Bakrie seeking cabinet seats in return for its support, said Paul Rowland, a Jakarta-based political analyst. Golkar is likely to switch anyway, since it sees itself as a party of government, he said.

Dissent is coming from people who don't have influence at the party's leadership meeting, Bakrie told reporters on Monday. "They can voice their opinion but no votes," he said.

Golkar, the political vehicle of dictator Suharto who was toppled in 1998, has been in government for the past decade and has played some role in running the country throughout the post-Suharto era. Its leadership can only be decided at a party congress, next scheduled for 2015, and bringing forward the timing of that would depend on a vote by the central board and provincial leaders, Mietzner said.

Yudhoyono

"With a victory of Jokowi-JK already certain, Golkar as an institution should know itself, especially those who are backing Prabowo," Bintang, a deputy chairman of Golkar's advisory board, said July 10 by phone, referring to Joko and his running mate, ex-Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla. "We can't be in opposition."

Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is likely to try to make sure the electoral transition goes smoothly and that democracy prevails, in order to ensure his legacy, said Kevin O'Rourke, a political analyst who wrote the book "Reformasi: The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia."

The parties currently aligned with Prabowo may wait to see the official election results before making a decision.

"We want to make sure based on the KPU," the Detik news website quoted Akbar Tandjung, Golkar's advisory council chairman, as saying on July 12, referring to the General Elections Commission. "After that, then we will know whether it's Prabowo or Joko. Then we'll discuss the next step."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/joko-signals-wider-indonesia-coalition-vote-tally-continues/