Indonesia's ruling party, the Democrat Party, is facing serious internal problems as some of its senior cadres are allegedly involved in corruption cases, which has led to a popularity decline ahead of the general elections in 2014.

The party, particularly set up in 2001 by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to support his presidential candidacy in 2004 elections, only gained a poor popularity rating at 13.7 percent in a recent survey conducted by Indonesia Survey Institution (LSI).

The party gained massive votes in the last two elections in 2004 and 2009 that brought Yudhoyono to presidency in two maximum service periods ending in 2014 and dominating seats in the parliament as it embraced several political party to join a coalition to support Yudhoyono's government.

The party is facing its hardest test at the moment as at least two of its senior cadres Muhammad Nazaruddin and Angelina Sondakh were declared suspects in corruption cases related to the direct appointment of contractors to construct dormitory facilities for athletes in 26th SEA Games held in Palembang and Jakarta last year.

The suspect status against the party's former treasury official and vice secretary general was a slap in the face for Democrat Party as it has been heavily campaigning for anti-corruption stance that often aired in national televisions.

According to witnesses, another Democrat Party senior cadre, the Sports and Youths Minister, Andi Mallarangeng, also received commission fee from the contractor.The country's antigraft agency is now undertaking further investigation against witnesses and suspects in the corruption case that could drag the party's chairman Anas Urbaningrun as suspect in the case.

Responding to all of those legal proceeding against senior cadres in the party, President Yudhoyono who now acts as the party ' s chief of adviser board, said that the party still exists amid the ongoing quagmire.

In a particular press conference held in his private residence on Sunday, President Yudhoyono ordered proactive stance from all Democrat party cadres in preventing the party's popularity from falling further.

To deliver the party's anti-corruption committment, Yudhoyono dismissed Angelina Sondakh from her key position in the party. But the president defended Anas Urbaningrun as the party's chairman, despite calls for an extraordinary party meeting to replace him.

Ramadhan Pohan, a Democrat party's vice secretary general, was optimistic that the party can gain significant votes in 2014 election, but saying that it at would take, at least, 8 months to recover itself from the ongoing quagmire. "By improving the working performance of all cadres in the party, I believe that we can regain public trust in 2014 election,"he said, adding that the party has prepared internal and external measures to respond the ongoing development.

However, an acclaimed political analyst from Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, said that the Democrat Party has apparently failed in promoting what it campaigned for in 2009. "If it wants to take anticorruption campaign again in 2014 election, the Democrat party would fail. Many of its cadres were implicated in corruption cases at present. So, what would the public trust the party for?" Ikrar said.

With legislative and presidential elections schedule draws near, the Democrat Party is now in tough task to nominate their presidential candidate to run in 2014 and to secure its seats in the parliament.

President Yudhoyono said earlier that he would not seek re- election as Democrat Party's presidential candidate after term ends in 2014.