Kalla promises to serve as vice president until October
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 07/08/2009 6:08 PM
Presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla has insisted that he will continue serving as Vice President to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono until October even if he does lose Wednesday’s presidential race.
Kalla said that he would work as usual at the Vice Presidential Office starting Monday.
“I will not resign until the end of my term in October,” he said while watching quick count results aired on Metro TV.
Quick counts have it that Yudhoyono won Wednesday’s presidential election by 60 percent, followed by Megawati Soekarnoputri with 27 percent and Jusuf Kalla with 14 percent.
A quick count by Metro TV which is seen as supportive to Jusuf Kalla, also gave Yudhoyono 58 percent of votes, Megawati 26 percent and Kalla at 15 percent.
Kalla said that he would wait for official election results from the General Elections Commission (KPU) before congratulating the winning president.
President Yudhoyono and Kalla were elected in the first direct election in 2004.
Asked what he would do if he and his pair Wiranto lost the election, Kalla said “I will go home [to Makassar].”
