PKS targets big three in 2014 legislative elections

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the fourth largest electoral contestant in the 2009 legislative elections, has set itself to become one of the Big Three parties in the April 9 legislative elections next month.

"The result of our internal survey is encouraging, so we are convinced that we can achieve the big three target," PKS President Anis Matta said when campaigning in Lampung Province on Saturday.

Based on national surveys, PKS has returned to a position in which it could receive a large number of votes, and the past two months has seen an increase in its electability across the country, the PKS President said.

According to Anis, PKS, which won 7.88 percent of the votes and secured 57 parliamentary seats in the 2009 legislative election, is determined to increase its seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) to 115 in this years elections.

He reiterated that his goal in leading PKS is to become one of the Big Three political parties in this years elections.

PKS faction chairman in the DPR, Hidayat Nur Wahid, said last January that his faction will ensure the victory of PKS through its efforts. 

Hidayat said his party had targeted to win 115 seats in parliament and become one of the Big Three. "We will seek ways to increase the seats to over 100," he was quoted by tribunnews.com as saying last January 28.

There are 12 national political parties that are campaigning to win the votes of about 185.8 million eligible voters in the upcoming legislative elections on April 9.

However, PKS will need to build a coalition, even if it wins 115 seats of the 560 seat at stake in the parliament. 

Anis Matta said PKS will join with other political parties, even it wins 20 percent of the votes, which would allow it to nominate its own presidential candidate.

"PKS must join with others because Indonesia is a big country. It is impossible for us to have no coalition. Although it has the boarding pass, PKS will remain in need of a coalition," Anis said on the sidelines of PKS campaign rallies in Lampung Province on Saturday.

He added that all political parties were aware of the need to join together, but this could only be decided after the results of the April 9 legislative elections have been announced.

"The legislative elections will decide the political map. PKS will talk about presidential candidates after the results of the legislative elections have been made clear," Anis Matta asserted. He further stated that his party was open to join with any political party.

Regarding the cadre PKS will nominate as a presidential candidate, PKS Deputy Secretary General Mahfudz Siddiq said the Advisory Board of PKS was still deliberating the results of PKS recent internal selection (Pemira). However, there is no guarantee that names being deliberated by the advisory board will automatically be nominated as a presidential and vice presidential candidate.

"We still have to wait for the results of the legislative elections. We cannot decide it right now. Yet, we have already had three names," on Wednesday.

Through the Pemira, PKS recorded its former president Hidayat Nur Wahid as securing 55.67 percent, followed by PKS President Anis Matta (48.15 percent), West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan (46.014 percent), Communications and Informatics Minister Tiffatul Sembiring (31.714 percent) and former PKS president Nur Mahmudi Ismail (20.42 percent).

PKS chose to accept three of them, particularly those on the top of the list, for public evaluations by the advisory board and by surveys to see their electability level. Mahdudz said the final decision would be made after the announcement of the April 9 legislative election results.

"It is the advisory board that will determine (the candidate) after the results of the elections are known," Hidayat Nur Wahid said on the sidelines of PKS campaign in Cilandak, South Jakarta, on Friday.

Right now, three figures are competing for the nomination, including party president Anis Matta, West Java governor Ahmad Heryawan and himself, he added.

He elaborated, saying if Ahmad Heryawan is able to receive significant votes in West Java, or if Anis Matta could garner a high number of votes nationally, then that will be one of the factors that will be used to determine their candidacies.

"That is what we call a public test phase. Besides that, we will also use survey results to determine the correct figure," he added.

He pointed out that PKS will only nominate a presidential candidate if the party is able to collect a minimum of 10 percent of the total votes in the legislative elections.

Based on the election law, only a party or a group of parties that receive 25 percent of the total votes in the elections, or secure a minimum of 20 percent of the parliamentary seats, is allowed to nominate its own presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Twelve national political parties will participate in legislative elections on April 9, while three local parties in Aceh will be on the ballots in the local electorate.

PKS, in the last general elections in 2009, finished fourth, collecting 7.88 percent of the votes following the Democrat Party, Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). 

A number of political parties have declared their presidential hopefuls to vie in the July 9 presidential race. 

The Golkar Party has nominated its general chairman, Aburizal Bakri, as its presidential candidate, while the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) named its chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, and PDIP selected its cadre, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, or Jokowi as he is popularly called. 

The ruling Democrat Party has not yet announced its presidential candidate, but has been organizing a presidential convention to select one.

The 12 electoral parties to take part in the upcoming elections include the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), the Golkar Party (Golkar), and the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra).

The line-up also includes the Democratic Party (Demokrat), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP), the Peoples Conscience Party (Hanura), the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).
Source: ANTARA