Surya Paloh Dismisses Rumours of NasDem-Gerindra Merger
NasDem Party Chairman Surya Paloh has dismissed rumours of a merger between NasDem and Gerindra Party, as reported by Tempo magazine in its 12 April 2026 edition. Surya made the statement in response to questions from journalists after the Halalbihalal Forum of Editors-in-Chief at NasDem Tower, Jakarta, on Thursday, 16 April.
According to Surya, it is untrue that NasDem will be merged with Gerindra, led by President Prabowo Subianto. “Of course not, it’s perhaps a case of jumping to conclusions too quickly, which I think is understandable,” Surya said, quoted from the NasDem Faction website on Sunday, 19 April 2026.
Surya then recounted the content of his meeting with Prabowo at the Gerindra Chairman’s residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, in mid-February 2026. The closed meeting discussed various matters regarding Indonesia’s future challenges up to the consolidation of parties supporting the government.
“But it’s not just that issue; there are other matters and thoughts on how to address the challenges ahead faced by all coalition parties. NasDem is in a position within the coalition, which is already clear,” he stated.
Surya also touched on the matter of delivering criticism in today’s mature democratic life. Surya opined that criticism is part of efforts to build a spirit of improvement in the process of nation-building and statehood. However, he said that criticism must not weaken or exceed boundaries to remain essential.
In last week’s Tempo magazine edition, it was revealed that Prabowo proposed to Surya Paloh to merge NasDem Party with Gerindra. The idea emerged after the two met at Prabowo’s residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, in mid-February 2026.
If the idea materialises, the combination of the two parties would gather nearly 35 million national votes or 23 per cent based on the 2024 election results. According to three senior NasDem officials, Surya did not welcome the proposal because he wants to maintain his position and has not yet seen any benefits of the merger for NasDem.
NasDem Vice Chairman Saan Mustopa admitted he was surprised by the information. He avoided calling the merger of the two parties a merger or acquisition, instead using ‘fusion’ as the official term.
Saan opined that combining the two parties is a reasonable idea, especially since it happened in 1973. Compared to that time, he assessed that the current idea of merging the two parties is more difficult to realise due to differences in party philosophies.
“For example, regarding the context of ideology, identity context, party existence, because building or founding each party, the respective founders certainly have idealism and ideas in different contexts,” he said at the DPR Complex, Jakarta, on Monday, 13 April 2026.