The SIRA Party, abbreviation of Independent Solidity of the Acehnese Party (Indonesian: Partai Soliditas Independen Rakyat Aceh), is a regional political party in Indonesia active in Aceh province. The party was founded in December 2007 by then-Deputy Governor Muhammad Nazar.[1][2]

Independent Solidity of the Acehnese Party
Partai Soliditas Independen Rakyat Aceh
ChairmanMuslim Syamsuddin
Secretary-GeneralMuhammad Daud
Founded10 December 2007
HeadquartersBanda Aceh
IdeologyAceh regionalism
Ballot number23
DPRD II seats
3 / 665
Website
https://partaisira.org

It contested the 2009 elections in the province of Aceh, where it was seen as the main challenger for the Aceh Party. However, the party won only 38,157 votes, or 1.78% of the Aceh turnout. It failed to qualify for the 2014 elections.[3][4] In the 2019 elections, it qualified and won a single seat in the Aceh provincial legislature.[5] The party is qualified again to participate in 2024 election.[6]

History

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The party was initially founded as "Information Center for Aceh Referendum" (Sentral Informasi Referendum Aceh) in 1999 by Aceh activist Muhammad Nazar as a pressure group seeking peaceful resolution to Aceh conflict, including for a possibility of an independence referendum as alternative of armed resistance promoted by the Free Aceh Movement.[7]

The organisation was revamped as a political party and its name changed to "Independent Voice of the Acehnese Party" (Suara Independen Rakyat Aceh), while maintaining the SIRA abbreviation, for the 2009 elections. Amendments to the party statute in 2012 recognised the SIRA abbreviation as the official party name, which now stood for "Independent Solidity of the Acehnese Party" (Soliditas Independen Rakyat Aceh).

At the party congress in April 2022, the party's Executive Council decided to "honourably discharge" party founder Muhammad Nazar as chairperson.[8]

References

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  1. ^ International Crisis Group Update (2008) Briefing Asia Briefing N°81, Jakarta/Brussels, 9 September 2008 Indonesia: Pre-Election Anxieties in Aceh Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Tempo magazine No. 0931/March 31-April 06, 2009, pp46-47
  3. ^ Nainggolan, Bestian; Wahyu, Yohan (2016). Partai Politik Indonesia 1999-2019 (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Kompas Media Nusantara. pp. 227–228. ISBN 978-602-412-005-4.
  4. ^ Simanjuntak, Hotli (August 18, 2008). "Finally, Aceh local parties to take part in general election". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  5. ^ Setyadi, Agus (30 September 2019). "81 Anggota DPR Aceh Dilantik, Partai Aceh Kuasai Parlemen". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  6. ^ Tri Meilani Ameliya (14 December 2022). "KPU tetapkan 17 partai politik peserta Pemilu 2024". Antara News. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  7. ^ Firdausi, Fadrik Aziz (10 June 2019). "Aceh Menuntut Referendum, Dua Dekade Lalu". Tirto.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  8. ^ Emsaci, Diah F, ed. (15 April 2022). "MTP SIRA Berhentikan M Nazar dari Ketua Umum Partai SIRA". Aceh Journal National Network (in Indonesian). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
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