Golkar ran a campaign based on stability and economic progress, with a priority in fighting corruption and re-electing Suharto to a fifth term.

The PPP's campaign was centered on building a pro-people economy and bringing about social justice, while the PDI's was based on imposing term limits on the president, tougher sentences for corruption and an end to monopolies.

In 1988, Wahono became chairman of Golkar due to support from the military, the first time in which ABRI demonstrated their political power against Suharto.

The party suffered through internal struggles in the 1970s, but managed to become the main opposition to the New Order, putting up a heavy fight against Golkar in the 1977 and 1982 legislative elections.

It also tried to portray itself as the most nationalistic party and raised issues such as social inequality and emphasized its anti-foreign aid stance.

[7] Golkar had its share of internal problems, mainly caused by the fact it was a more complex organization than the two political parties, resulting in sometimes poor coordination between the center and the branches in provinces such as Riau, West Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi.

Its biggest threat to accomplishing this goal was the PDI, under the leadership of Suryadi, which had begun to increasingly use the symbols of former president Sukarno to gain support.

During the campaign, Golkar mainly campaigned on stability and the economy, with party spokesman and former party vice chairman Sarwono Kusumaatmadja arguing that it was difficult to bring about change without risking the unity of the nation, and that the priority of the nation should be to build a strong economic basis.

[11] Another party spokesman, Sudomo, said that the priorities of Golkar for the next five years were to improve quality in all aspects by developing human resources, to fight against the excesses of deviations from development such as corruption and illegal levies, to build openness and Pancasila democracy together with legal certainty, and to persuade president Suharto to stand for the presidency for another five-year term.

On the same day, PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said that the party would work to improve the lot of the disadvantaged by building a pro-people economy and bringing about social justice.

[15] Ending the party's campaign in Semarang on 3 June, secretary general Matori Abdul Djalil read a five-part political statement calling on people to use their vote and saying that Pancasila was the only basis for society.

[22] Gaining 16 seats within the DPR, and increasing its share of the popular vote by 4%, mainly from new first time voters.

The PPP also increased its vote share in Jakarta, replacing the PDI as the second largest party in the capital.

[24] Both parties admitted to Golkar being victorious in the election, but charged that their share of the vote would have risen if there hadn't been any fraud.

The police probed over 100 polling sites in Jakarta alone, and Singgih conceded that while there were some mistakes in the election process.

[26] Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for politics and security, Sudomo, lashed out against these accusations, and threatened that anyone who undermines the integrity of the election will be put in prison for up to five years.