PPP's Internal Conflict: How Will It Affect Its Vote Share in the Election?

The United Development Party (PPP) is once again plagued by internal conflict. In September 2022, PPP Chairman Suharso Monoarfa was removed from his position and replaced by Muhammad Mardiono.

This internal conflict is expected to disrupt the party's solidarity and impact its vote share in the 2024 General Election.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the PPP's vote share and parliamentary seats (House of Representatives/DPR RI) have shown a declining trend since the 1999 General Election, as seen in the graph.

In 1999, the first post-reform election, the PPP garnered 11.31 million (10.72%) of the national valid votes and won 58 seats in the DPR RI (12.55%). However, this achievement has tended to decline in subsequent elections.

By the 2019 General Election, the PPP only managed to obtain 6.32 million (4.52%) of the national valid votes and 19 seats in the DPR RI (3.3%). This achievement was the lowest in the last five elections.

Ahead of the 2024 General Election, the internal conflict experienced by the PPP is expected to make it difficult to boost its vote share from its lowest point in the 2019 General Election.

Previously, the PPP had also been hit by similar conflicts several times. Here is a history of internal conflicts within the PPP since the New Order era until now:

* 1979: The PPP experienced internal conflict after Jailani Naro declared himself Chairman General, subsequently receiving government support. The culmination was Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) withdrawing from the PPP in 1984.
* 2014: The PPP was plagued by internal conflict during the leadership of Chairman General Suryadharma Ali (SDA) due to differing support from party elites for the presidential candidate at that time. SDA eventually resigned as Chairman General of the PPP due to being implicated in a corruption case.
* 2015-2017: A dual leadership existed within the PPP between Djan Farids and Romahurmuziy. Later, Romahurmuziy was also implicated in a corruption case.
* 2022: Suharso Monoarfa was dismissed as Chairman General of the PPP and replaced by Muhammad Mardiono.