Parties satisfied with electoral number draw results

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/30/2009 12:24 PM  |  Election 2009

Executives of various political parties competing in the July presidential election say that they are fully content with the results of Saturday's electoral number draw.

"Getting number 1 for our candidates is a good sign for our chances [in the upcoming election] since it will be very easy to introduce the number to the voters," said Fadli Zon, an executive of the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra), in Jakarta on Saturday.

Gerindra's chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, is the running mate of Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) president Tifatul Sembiring said his bloc were not concerned about what electoral number they got.

"It's all the same, whether it's number 1,2 or 3. However, we have to admit it would be easier for the voters to vote for number 2 because it is right in the middle of the ballot," Titaful said.

PKS is in a coalition with the Democratic Party (PD), whose chief patron is incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Priyo Budi Santoso, an executive of the Golkar Party supporting the candidacy of Jusuf Kalla, said the number 3 his party received was more than just a number.

"It symbolizes the future. The number 1 candidate was once ruled as a president, the number 2 is the incumbent, therefore, the number 3 is for the future," he said. (hdt)

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