By Ainur Rohmah
JAKARTA
Indonesia's presidential election winner Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has been dealt another blow in his efforts for a smooth transition to president -- losing candidate Prabowo Subianto winning the right to choose the speaker of the house Wednesday, weeks after the Constitutional Court paved the way for his coalition to also obtain control of the leadership of the House of Representatives.
A coalition led by Jokowi's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle lost the People’s Consultative Assembly speakership contest Wednesday, taking 330 votes to the 347 of Subianto’s Red and White Coalition.
The consultative assembly -- which consists of the 560-member House of Representatives and the 132-member Regional Representatives Council -- is a legislative body that has the authority to make changes to the constitution and to impeach the president.
Observers immediately expressed concern Wednesday over the pro-Prabowo coalition's domination of the lower and upper house, suggesting it could cause instability to Widodo who will be inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh president October 20.
Questioned if Prabowo's growing control could pave way for legislators to impeach Widodo, Ari Dwipayana -- a political observer at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Java -- told The Anadolu Agency that such a move remains difficult as it must first pass through the Constitutional Court.
It would also invite a response from the tremendous people power that Jokowi has been reliant on, he said.
"So it is not easy to do," Arid added.
For the best part of 2013, Indonesia has been divided into two political factions -- populist Jokowi versus ex-general Subianto. Although Jokowi was announced president elect after the July 9 election, Subianto filed a lawsuit claiming the win was "legally invalid" because it was obtained "unlawfully" or through "abuse of authority" by the country's election commission.
Indonesia's Constitutional Court threw out the challenge August 21, yet division has continued.
In September, the KMP secured the way for mayors, governors and district chiefs to be elected by regional legislatures, not popular democracy.
However, outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued last Thursday two regulations in lieu of law to restore direct local elections after his Democrat Party walked out of the hearing before the vote despite having announced opposition to indirect elections.
After Wednesday's vote the new house speaker of Subianto’s Red and White Coalition, Zulkifli Hasan, underlined that he would try and bring together the coalitions for the purpose of national unity, while ensuring harmony among state institutions.
"We need to prioritize the unity [of the nation], the People’s Consultative Assembly is the glue that holds all the different parts together," Said Zulkifli after plenary session.
"The most important thing is to build a prosperous nation. So there is no intention to impeach anyone," he added.
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