JAKARTA - Indonesia's second-largest party Golkar appointed the country's newly named energy minister as its new chief on Wednesday.

Bahlil Lahadalia, a supporter of President Joko Widodo, was chosen as party leader at the annual congress of Golkar, the party of the late President Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for three decades until 1998. He stressed the Golkar must remain united. 

Bahlil's appointment comes during a transition period in which President-elect Prabowo Subianto has been consolidating power ahead of his presidency, culminating in him securing a parliamentary majority late last week, with support from parties that had backed his election rival.

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Golkar is the largest party in the parliamentary coalition while Prabowo's Gerindra party is the second largest in the alliance.

Golkar was originally scheduled to hold its annual congress this December, but the surprise resignation of Airlangga Hartarto as chair last weekend saw the event brought forward.

The party shake-up comes amid a string of new political appointments and the formation of a government-aligned big-tent coalition.

On Monday, Jokowi appointed several new ministers with close ties to his successor in a reshuffle his office said was designed to smooth the transition of power.

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The same day a coalition of political parties aligned to Prabowo and Jokowi also converged behind a single candidate for the Jakarta governor election.

Prabowo and Jokowi's son, vice-president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will be inaugurated on October 20.