President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declined to announce his running mate for the upcoming presidential election, sparking speculation that he wants to keep his options open rather than limiting himself to Vice President and Golkar Chairman Jusuf Kalla.

During the opening of his Democratic Party’s national meeting in Jakarta on Saturday, Yudhoyono told his supporters that the party should be very careful in naming vice presidential candidates for him.

“I ask the party not to name a candidate for vice president. Don’t give [them] hope, it is not good,” he said.

The president insisted that the Democratic party would announce its vice president candidates after the legislative elections were held on April 9.

The presidential election is slated for July 8.

Atte Suganda, a senior member of the Democratic Party hinted that Yudhoyono  has not decided who will accompany him in the upcoming election.

“The President is a polite politician, he does not want to hurt any body. As far as I know, he has not named Kalla as his candidate yet,” Atte, who is also senior lawmaker of the party, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Political experts were quick to suggested that Yudhoyono’s delay in naming Kalla as his running mate shows that he intends to break with Golkar if the Democratic Party secures 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives elections.

“The decision leaves both Kalla and Golkar hanging in the balance ahead of the elections and weakens their bargaining power against Yudhoyono,” Mohammad Qodari, executive director of polling firm Indo Barometer said Sunday

“The delay also shows Yudhoyono is still in doubt about running with Kalla.”  

The Democratic Party, the fifth-largest in the 2004 election, opened its two-day national meeting on Sunday with the main agenda being how to win 20 percent of seats or 25 percent popular votes in legislative elections.

Achieving the target will allow Yudhoyono to rerun for a second term without having to form a coalition with other parties.

While the Democratic Party only garnered seven percent of the votes in the 2004 legislative election, a series of recent surveys indicates that it can win the election.

Kalla has hinted that he will retain his allegiance with Yudhoyono, with many members of Golkar’s central board having expressed their support for the continuation of the Yudhoyono-Kalla partnership.

However, rebellion against Kalla looms large, with the rise of Sultan Hamengkubowono X as Golkar’s most promising candidate and demands from many regional factions to nominate one of its own.

Qodari said Yudhoyono would likely opt for a technocrat as a running mate if the Democratic party secures the minimum 20 percent of votes in the legislative elections.

“It is very likely for Yudhoyono to pick Sri Mulyani, who would focus on economic development, to smooth his second term,” he said.

Sri is currently the coordinating minister for the economy.

“But if the Democratic Party gets less than 20 percent, it will form a coalition with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and pick Hidayat Nur Wahid,” he said.

Democratic Party elites have said that Yudhoyono had made too many compromises with Kalla and Golkar.

Kalla's moves, that often challenge Yudhoyono, have also aggravated the president.

Syamsuddin Haris of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) said that the delay was not good for Golkar.

“Like it or not, Golkar should name its candidate for the presidential post as soon as possible. Otherwise, Golkar’s position against Yudhoyono will continue to weaken.”         

Andrinof Chaniago, a political expert from the University of Indonesia, backed up the sentiments, “Yudhoyono can take his time to find a vice presidential candidate other than Kalla," he said.

By selecting a younger vice presidential figure Yudhoyono would showing the public that he is grooming a presidential candidate for 2014 election.

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