PKS to Join Grand Coalition with Gerindra Party

Jakarta (Antara) - The Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) will join the grand political coalition to support Chief Patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Let Gen (ret) Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidate in the upcoming election. This information was revealed by a party member. "The PKS will join forces with Gerindra, Golkar, and People's Conscience Party (Hanura) for the presidential election bid. Other parties that will possibly join us are the United Development Party (PPP) and National Mandate Party (PAN)," a member of PKS' Central Board Refrizal stated here on Wednesday. Refrizal noted that the PKS is ready to join hands with Gerindra to win the 2014 presidential election. "If the coalition wins, we will govern the country together. If we lose, then we will be part of the opposition," he added. When questioned about Prabowo, who has often been associated with alleged human rights violation, Refrizal claimed that all parties under Gerindra's coalition have clarified the news and will continue to offer their support to Prabowo. As of now, Prabowo has not yet announced his running mate for the presidential election. One of the names often mentioned in the media as the likely vice presidential candidate is the Golkar party's Chairman Aburizal Bakrie, who is popularly known as Ical. (*)