Toward the Year of Gambling on the Existence of Political Parties

Kompas/Alif Ichwan

Presidential candidate pairs Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa (right), and Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and Jusuf Kalla embrace after presenting their respective vision and mission in their first presidential candidate debate in Jakarta on June 6, 2014.

The year 2018 will be a gamble for political parties because it is when their very existence will be decided, not in the 2019 general election. The existence of the parties will totally change the concentration of power for two figures, namely Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Prabowo Subianto.

The 2019 general election will become a confirmation on coalition strategies declared at the time of registering presidential and vice presidential candidates in August 2018. Therefore, 2018 will be a struggle for the very existence of parties that do not have a solid voter base and do not have members who have the potential to be named presidential and vice presidential candidates. This has been caused by the general elections system, which has changed.