Although President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has left the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P), his political future looks promising as several parties that have supported President-elect Prabowo Subianto have indicated he may become party leader or play a strategic role in the party after he steps down in October.
But this may not be easy, as political parties such as Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN) are well-established institutions that have operated according to fixed internal party rules for decades.
Senior members of Golkar, the party that came in second after the PDI-P in February’s parliamentary elections, have welcomed Jokowi, with party leader and Senior Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto saying Jokowi and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka “are already part of Golkar.”
Golkar deputy chairman Erwin Aksa said the party welcomes Jokowi but his joining will also depend on what he wants from the party.
“Park Of course Jokowi has plans for Golkar. He knows what the plans are after that. [his term ends] On October 20th he said The Jakarta Post on friday.
Erwin said the party’s current internal rules stipulate that a leadership candidate must serve at least one term on the executive, making it impossible for Jokowi to lead the country’s oldest political party.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
But he said it was “possible” that the rules could be changed during the party congress scheduled for December, paving the way for Jokowi to become leader.
