Editing Sudharmono (section)

== Chairman of Golkar ==
{{Further|1987 Indonesian legislative election}}
During the 1983 [[Golkar]] National Conference, which took place from 20 October until 25 October 1983, Sudharmono was elected as the [[Golkar#List of chairmen|Chairman]] of Golkar.{{sfn|Effendy|Thohari|Novianto|Nubowo|2012| pp = 109-111}} His election was unexpected. He was accompanied by Sarwono Kusumaatmadja as secretary general.{{sfn|Effendy|Thohari|Novianto|Nubowo|2012| pp = 111-112}} As Chairman of Golkar, Sudharmono reformed some of the inner workings of the party. He did this by pushing for further transparency within the party organization, creating job descriptions for party officials, dividing the tasks of party officials, and creating the post of field coordinator. Sudharmono also conducted many inspection tours of Golkar branches at the local level to see the implementation and consolidation of Golkar policies.{{sfn|Effendy|Thohari|Novianto|Nubowo|2012| p = 112}}

Sudharmono consolidated Golkar's position ahead of the [[1987 Indonesian legislative election]], focusing its efforts on securing a majority of the popular vote in the devoutly [[Islam in Indonesia|Islamic]] province of [[Aceh]], which was the only province apart from [[Jakarta]] where Golkar had failed to do so in 1982.{{sfn|Liddle|1994| p = 96}} Golkar made use of two civil servants to run its financial campaign in Aceh, while also using Aceh governor Ibrahim Hasan, an [[economist]] who managed to unite the traditional and modern aspirations of the [[Acehnese people]], to their advantage, by making him travel all around the province telling people that a Golkar victory would bring about material development without sacrificing traditional values.{{sfn|Liddle|1994| p = 97}}

Sudharmono's leadership, as well as the weakness of the Islamic opposition, the [[United Development Party]], following the withdrawal of the [[Nahdlatul Ulama]] (NU) from the party, led to Golkar increasing its majority from 242 seats to 299 seats and from 64.34% to 73.11% of the vote. Golkar also achieved its aim in Aceh, and for the first time won an absolute majority of the vote in [[Jakarta]] and every other province of Indonesia.{{sfn|Liddle|1994| p = 98}}