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ne of the participants of the Democratic Party'€™s presidential convention, Irman Gusman, says he is optimistic that the party will soon name a clear convention winner, despite political uncertainty.

Irman, who is currently chairman of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), said that, whatever the outcome, it would be the best thing for the party.

'€œI have to agree that, ideally, the convention should produce a presidential candidate, as long as we can achieve that without a coalition. But under the current circumstances, we could settle for a vice presidential slot,'€ he said during a press conference at the People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.

'€œI believe that SBY will play his hand with much care and consideration,'€ Irman said, referring to incumbent president and chairman of the Democratic Party'€™s supreme assembly, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Meanwhile, the party'€™s deputy secretary-general, Andi Nurpati Baharuddin, said the party is currently weighing up its options in light of the quick count results of the recent legislative election.

'€œThere will be a decision after all the proceedings in April have concluded,'€ said Andi, adding that the final debate for the convention candidates would be held on April 27.

Andi said that the party would consider joining with parties that had already nominated a presidential candidate and putting forward the winner of the convention as a vice presidential candidate, or would set up a new coalition with the aim of pushing the convention winner for the presidency.

'€œThere'€™s an '€˜SBY effect'€™ because the chairman has leverage in choosing the direction of the party. It will be decided in early May,'€ she added.

Political communications expert from the University of Indonesia, Effendi Gazali, said that the Democratic Party still stood a chance given shifting political alliances.

'€œAccording to an unpublished academic study, there is a shift away from the Jokowi-Prabowo configuration. There might just be a stronger candidate that could come out from the convention,'€ Effendi said.

However, he said that the convention must wrap up soon and that the party must take the initiative to form a coalition.

'€œIt'€™s time to stop measuring electability and start running a simulation of which pair of candidates stands the best chance,'€ he said.

Effendi, who tendered his resignation as a member of the convention committee because of health reasons in February, said that one of his other reasons for quitting was because the convention appeared to have no future.

Political analyst Muhammad Qodari of Jakarta-based pollster IndoBarometer predicted that the Democratic Party could form a new '€œfourth'€ coalition block with the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) to nominate its own presidential candidate. (tjs)