Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto has secured a parliamentary majority after the party supporting his February election rival decided to join his broad coalition.
The NasDem party, holding about 10% of parliament seats, announced on Thursday its decision to support Prabowo’s incoming administration. This move boosts Prabowo’s parliamentary control from 43% to 52%, ensuring smoother legislative processes, including the approval of the 2025 budget, which outgoing President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, will present on Friday.
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Prabowo, a former military commander, and his Vice-President-elect, Gibran Rakabuming Raka—Jokowi’s eldest son—are set to be sworn in on October 20.
NasDem’s leader, Surya Paloh, emphasized that joining forces with Prabowo would create a “calmer and more optimistic” atmosphere, facilitating the work of the new administration. Prabowo echoed this sentiment, stating, “Unity is the key to a nation’s success.”
Prabowo’s coalition, already comprising five political parties, is also in discussions with the country’s largest Islamic party, which holds a 10% share in parliament.
Previously, NasDem backed Anies Baswedan, a former Jakarta governor and vocal government critic, who lost to Prabowo in the recent presidential election. With NasDem’s shift in allegiance, the party has withdrawn its support for Anies’s bid in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial race this November.
Anies, the leading candidate in the Jakarta race according to polls, has faced challenges in securing the necessary party support for his campaign. Despite these obstacles, he remains optimistic about gaining the required 20% of seats in the regional parliament.
These developments come in the wake of Airlangga Hartarto’s unexpected resignation as the head of Golkar, Indonesia’s second-largest political party, which is part of Prabowo’s coalition. Although Airlangga, an ally of both Jokowi and Prabowo, was expected to retain his position until the party’s December congress, a new party chair will now be elected at an expedited congress next week.
As Jokowi prepares to step down after a decade in office, analysts suggest that he may be seeking to maintain influence within Golkar.
