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residential candidate Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X (HB X) of Yogyakarta Palace visited influential palaces of Kasepuhan, Kacirebonan and Kanoman Sultanates in Cirebon, West Java on Thursday, in a bid to win political support from the prominent kingdoms in the upcoming election.

Although the Sultan insisted the visits were not of a political nature, at least two elites from his Golkar Party - Enggartiasto Lukita and Syamsul Mu'arif - were seen accompanying him during the course of his tour.

"Palaces are not political institutions. This is just a friendship visit and I am not here campaigning for the presidency. The time to campaign has not yet arrived," the Sultan said.

Speaking at a press conference, the Sultan said he had not yet decided who his running mate would be, claiming he would announce his decision after the legislative election on April 9. The presidential election will be held on July 8.

"I would prefer campaigning with a figure who is young and has a tested *leadership* capacity," he said. The Sultan claimed he would not follow the popular trend of choosing a partner with opposite attributes to his own, such as a popular military figure or somebody from outside Java.

"Choosing a partner to run with based on these popular characteristics is seen as the best way forward for elite political figures, but smart voters will not be so easily trapped into following such a partnership," Sultan said.

Separately, Crown Prince Arief Natadiningrat of the Kasepuhan Sultanate said his palace welcomed the prospect of the Sultan running for presidency, claiming that he truly held the nation as his first priority.

"We certainly offer him our prayers and support," Arief said.

Of the three Cirebon palaces, Kasepuhan Sultanate is the most influential. Many of the presidential candidates in the 2004 election, including Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Sukarnoputri, campaigned heavily for political support in the ancient kingdom of Cirebon.

Meanwhile in Semarang, Central Java, former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung said he was ready to run with SBY as the vice presidential candidate in the upcoming presidential election. "I'm ready to serve if there is a chance," he said.

Akbar said so far he had not spoken with SBY or his nominating political party, the Democratic Party. "I'm currently focusing on the Golkar Party so we can win the legislative election. I do hope we will have our own presidential candidate," he said. Akbar said his desire to join with SBY in the presidential race was based on the fact the Golkar Party's chairman cum-Vice President Jusuf Kalla had decided to challenge SBY in the 2009 presidential election.