The long-divided United Development Party (PPP) has eventually ended months of internal conflict as rival factions led by Muhamad Mardiono and Agus Suparmanto agreed to reunite under a single leadership on Monday, October 6, 2025.

The reconciliation was formalized following a decree issued by Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, recognizing Mardiono as the party’s chairman, with Agus Suparmanto as deputy chairman, Taj Yasin Maimoen as secretary-general, and Imam Fauzan Amir Uskara as treasurer.

“I apologize to the public for the disruption caused by our internal conflict. This will serve as a valuable lesson for us. PPP will emerge stronger and remain committed to the struggle of the ummah,” Mardiono said during a press conference at the ministry in Jakarta.

Suparmanto, who previously claimed leadership through a separate congress, confirmed that no midterm replacement (PAW) of local legislators from PPP would take place.

“We agreed there will be no PAW for regional councils, nor unnecessary reshuffles at the provincial or district levels,” he said, emphasizing that unity within the party was now the top priority.

Compromise

PPP’s 10th National Congress, held on September 27, 2025 in Ancol, Jakarta, initially produced two rival leaderships ‒Mardiono’s faction, which elected him by acclamation, and Suparmanto’s faction, which held a parallel congress claiming the same mandate.

The dispute threatened to deepen the cracks within the party, already weakened by previous internal feuds between Mardiono and former chairman Suharso Monoarfa in 2024.

However, the latest reconciliation marks the end of PPP’s years-long dualism and brings both sides under a unified structure.

PPP’s unity comes amid a steep electoral decline. The party won only 3.8 percent of the national vote in the 2024 general election just below the 4 percent parliamentary threshold losing its seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) for the first time in decades.

While PPP still holds representation in provincial and district legislatures, analysts warn that internal divisions and weak institutional capacity threaten the party’s long-term survival.

According to data from the Political Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), PPP ranks lowest among parliamentary parties in terms of organizational institutionalization, scoring 66.92 points ‒ well below the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) with 88.65 points, NasDemwith 83.14 points, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) with 79.87 points.

BRIN’s political researcher, Lili Romli, said PPP’s recovery depends on whether it can modernize its internal structure and reconnect with younger voters.

“In the future, in order to re-enter parliament, in addition to consolidating, we must also implement strategies to attract young voters, who are the majority of voters,”Lili told Indonesia Business Post on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

Rebranding

Observers note that PPP’s traditional support base ‒ rooted in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) networks has steadily eroded since the 1990s. Much of the NU base has shifted to the National Awakening Party (PKB), while PKS and PAN have captured urban, middle-class Muslim voters.

With 60 percent of voters in the 2029 elections projected to be under 40, PPP faces an urgent need to rebrand.

“Therefore, parties must be inclusive and digitally oriented. They must understand the mindset of millennials and Gen Z,” Lili added.

He added PPP’s elite for reuniting and reconciling as a gentlemanly attitude decision. “I believe this should be emulated by other party elites as they compete to unite and strengthen their parties,” he said.

After years of turbulence, Monday’s reconciliation signals a turning point for PPP. But political observers say rebuilding credibility will take more than unity at the elite level.