Jakarta. As former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo distances himself from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), two of Indonesia’s major political parties, Golkar and Gerindra, are vying for his allegiance.

The Gerindra Party, led by President Prabowo Subianto, has expressed its openness to welcoming Jokowi but is awaiting clarity on his plans. On Friday, Jokowi visited Prabowo’s residence in Kertanegara, Jakarta, for a private meeting described as nostalgic, with no political affiliations discussed.

“We haven’t prepared any positions for him because we don’t know his intentions yet,” said Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Gerindra’s daily chairperson. “We are fundamentally open to anyone, but we cannot force Pak Jokowi to join,” Prabowo added after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Golkar Party Deputy Chairman Idrus Marham also signaled readiness to embrace Jokowi. “Golkar is not a family-owned party; it’s a party for the people,” Idrus said on Friday, clarifying that the offer was not meant to interfere in PDI-P’s internal affairs.

Idrus said, however, that there had been no formal discussions with Jokowi yet.

Jokowi and his family have been kicked out from PDI-P, the party that backed his two-term presidency and supported his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka and son-in-law Bobby Nasution in mayoral elections. The rift widened after Jokowi allowed Gibran to pair with Prabowo as his vice-presidential candidate in the February 2024 election, implicitly endorsing Prabowo over PDI-P’s own candidate, Ganjar Pranowo.

PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto recently confirmed that Jokowi, Gibran, and Bobby are no longer aligned with the party, further fueling questions about Jokowi’s next political chapter.

“I guess I’m now a one-man party,” he told reporters on Thursday.

For now, Jokowi remains silent on his plans, leaving Golkar, Gerindra, and the public to speculate on where Indonesia’s seventh president might land as he goes on with his post-presidency political life.