No hurry to name new SBY deputy

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 10/14/2008 10:18 AM  |  National

The Democratic Party has brushed aside speculation it will stick with its pairing of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in its bid to win reelection in next year's presidential election.

Party deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum said in Jakarta on Monday that Yudhoyono's running mate would be announced following the legislative elections next April.

"This is not the right time to declare SBY's running mate. Like all other parties, we are now focusing on the legislative elections. We don't want to pressure SBY into picking a vice president candidate," he said.

Yudhoyono, chief patron of the Democratic Party, announced late last month he would seek reelection next year, adding that it was likely he would once again partner Kalla, who is chairman of the Golkar Party, the country's largest party.

"SBY has respected the Golkar Party by saying his candidacy with Kalla depends on developments within Golkar and Kalla's personal goals, so nothing yet is for sure," Anas said.

"After all, we're thankful for the speculation that Yudhoyono would reunite Kalla as it would boost the pair's belief that they can accomplish their duties until next year."

The Golkar Party is spilt on the idea of a Yudhoyono-Kalla reunion, with many Golkar cadres pushing for one of their own members to run for president.

Anas refused to reveal names of potential running mates for Yudhoyono in the event Kalla does not run again.

"Whoever the candidate is, he should be welcomed by the people as their support is the most important thing. The candidate should also have good integrity and must be able to work with SBY."

Anas said the Democratic Party would be open to forming a coalition with similarly minded parties during next year's presidential election.

"But the PDI-P is an exception as our positions are clearly opposed," he said, referring to opposition party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Anas said the Democratic Party would consider building a coalition with the PDI-P if the later chose not to nominate former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, which he added was quite impossible.

The House of Representatives is still deliberating a bill stipulating the minimum percentage of votes that a party must win during the legislative elections to qualify to nominate a presidential candidate.

Anas said the Democratic Party had proposed the parliamentary mark be set at 15 percent and the electoral mark 20 percent to ensure a stable coalition of parties in the future.

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