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President-elect Prabowo Subianto took a hands-on approach to forming his cabinet, planning in-person interviews with potential ministers. This process, which began on Monday at his Kertanegara residence in Jakarta, included primarily politicians from his Advance Indonesia Coalition (KIM). Notable attendees include National Mandate Party chair Zulkifli Hasan, Democrat chair Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, and Golkar chairman Bahlil Lahadalia. Prabowo's close aide, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, indicated that while a selection team had already conducted initial interviews, Prabowo himself wanted to meet candidates before making final decisions.

The cabinet formation was occurring against a backdrop of potential political realignment. Prabowo reportedly sought to bring the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Indonesia's largest political party, into his coalition. If successful, this would have resulted in an unprecedented situation with no opposition parties in parliament since the introduction of direct presidential elections in 2004. While no PDI-P members had been summoned for cabinet interviews, communications between Prabowo and PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri were ongoing, with a meeting planned before Prabowo's 20 October inauguration.
 

Prabowo's cabinet was expected to be a mix of new faces and retained ministers from the outgoing administration of President Joko Widodo. There were early indications that the cabinet would expand from 34 to 44 members, with new ministries being created and some existing ones being split. The selection process was set to continue until Saturday, with Prabowo emphasizing the importance of competence, quality, and expertise in respective fields for all candidates. This thorough approach reflected the incoming president's commitment to forming a strong and capable government team to lead Indonesia forward
 

Sources: 

https://en.antaranews.com/news/329701/pdip-to-support-nation-building-during-prabowo-gibran-govt-term
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/prabowo-plans-inperson-interviews-with-candidates-for-his-cabinet
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/future-cabinet-no-pdip-nasdem-pks-politician-summoned-by-prabowo-so-far
https://www.yahoo.com/news/indonesias-prabowo-courts-largest-party-085020744.html

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