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AKARTA: A senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician says former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, has the authority to determine which member will be its presidential candidate.

PDI-P secretary general Tjahjo Kumolo said on Monday that the party’s national congress last year had determined that the chairwoman had the full authority in selecting the party’s nominee in the 2014 presidential election.

“The decision is all hers,” Tjahjo said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

But he also said the party’s intention to support Megawati as its candidate remained unclear, adding that recent opinion polls would be one consideration.

“Besides, we still have to observe the nation’s political conditions. Megawati may or may not run again for president, while other figures such as Puan Maharani [her daughter] also have the potential to be our candidate for president,” he said.

A recent survey by the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that politicians like Megawati, Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) chairman Prabowo Subianto and former vice president Jusuf Kalla remain popular with voters.

The survey found that Megawati and Prabowo were the two most popular potential presidential candidates, supported by 10 percent and 6.7 percent of respondents respectively.