Golkar out to win legislative elections

JAKARTA: Golkar Party is looking to win 40 million votes in the 2014 legislative elections, the party chairman says.

Aburizal Bakrie said Saturday in Medan that the party would need to recruit 100 new members and woo support from 300 voters in each subdistrict across the country to reach the goal.

"If the consolidation works as planned, we'll win at least 40 million votes in the 2014 elections," he said as quoted by Antara.

Golkar finished a distant second to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party in the 2009 polls.

Aburizal, formerly a Cabinet minister in Yudhoyono's first administration, expressed guarded optimism that Golkar would win a half of the 244 elections for regent, mayor and governor to be held nationwide this year.

The party's candidates in the regional elections will be selected through a survey. In the past, candidates were determined at conventions. - JP