M

any regional chapters of the Democratic Party have nominated First Lady Ani Yudhoyono as candidate for the party’s chairmanship, amid intense internal struggle within the party ahead of the party’s extraordinary congress later this month.

Democratic Party executives confirmed on Tuesday that many regional party chapters had backed the candidacy of Ani.

“There are at least two reasons Bu Ani should be nominated. First, she served as party deputy chairperson in 2004, so she has the capacity. Second, local party chapters were impressed by Bu Ani when she accompanied her husband in presidential visits to regions,” the head of the Democratic Party faction at the House of Representatives, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, said.

Nurhayati, however, said that Ani had no intention of running for the party chairmanship. “But the voices of local party chapters should be heard and considered by the President as the chair of the party’s Supreme Assembly,” she said.

Nurhayati said that Ani would be the perfect candidate to bring the party together after it was rocked by graft allegations. A party patron, Ajeng Ratna Sumilar, meanwhile, said that Yudhoyono had picked at least three candidates that he could endorse for the party chairmanship.

Yudhoyono is said to have proposed that the election of the new party chairman should be done through an acclamation and that party members would only endorse his pick.

Ajeng hinted that Yudhoyono would propose “a senior party member who is highly regarded by party members”.

Ajeng, however, denied that the candidate would come from Yudhoyono’s family.

“[Yudhoyono] will never propose members of his family,” Ajeng said.

When asked if the candidate currently serves as a minister, Ajeng only said, “It’s likely.”

There are five ministers who are members of the Democratic Party; Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Syariefuddin Hasan; Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin; Youth and Sports Minister Roy Suryo, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik and Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan.

Among them, only Jero has expressed interest in leading the party.

“If ordered [to run for party chairman by Yudhoyono], I must be ready,” he said on Monday.

Yudhoyono’s pick would likely hurt the candidacy of House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie, who has been expected to be a frontrunner following his alliance with the ousted party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.

Some party members confirmed that Marzuki and Anas will likely build an alliance ahead of the congress, with Marzuki being asked to push for an amendment to party statutes in exchange for votes from Anas’ supporters.

Lawmaker Achsanul Qosasi, known to be Marzuki’s supporter in the party chairmanship race 2010 in which Marzuki lost to Anas, called on Yudhoyono to name Marzuki as the sole candidate.

“I agree that there would be a high risk of conflict if the upcoming congress is held like a free market. But I would like to ensure that Marzuki has the right to be party chairman now,” he said.