Overview
The Gerindra Party (acronym for , ) is a right-wing populist political party in Indonesia. Formed in 2008, Gerindra serves as the political vehicle of former general Prabowo Subianto. It is presently the third-largest party in the House of Representatives, where it has 78 seats. Gerindra had positioned itself as an opposition party, but in 2019 it joined President Joko Widodo's Onward Indonesia Cabinet, despite Prabowo having run against Widodo in Indonesia's 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.
History
After coming last in Golkar's presidential convention on 21 April 2004, Prabowo served as a member of Golkar's Advisory Board until his resignation on 12 July 2008. Gerindra was formed on 6 February 2008 at the suggestion of Prabowo's younger brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who helped pay for party's prime-time TV advertising campaign. Prabowo was appointed chairman of the party's Founding Board.
Gerindra's provincial level election teams were formed in February 2009. The party then claimed a membership of approximately 15 million, with its support base coming from across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.
The party won 4.5% of the vote in the 2009 legislative election, and was awarded 26 seats in the People's Representative Council.
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