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View all search resultsDems to consider MS Hidayat as presidential candidate
The Democratic Party says it will propose Industry Minister MS Hidayat as its presidential candidate following a plan to forge a coalition with the Golkar Party
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T
he Democratic Party says it will propose Industry Minister MS Hidayat as its presidential candidate following a plan to forge a coalition with the Golkar Party.
'The Democratic Party's plan to form a coalition with Golkar is not final, because we have yet to discuss options for presidential and vice presidential candidates,' Syarief Hasan, Democratic Party executive director said on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com.
The Democratic Party won 10.19 percent of the seats at the House of Representatives in the legislative election, less than the 14.75 percent gained by Golkar.
The 2008 Election Law stipulates that a party or a coalition of parties needs to win at least 20 percent of the seats at the House of Representatives or 25 percent of the popular vote to be able to nominate a presidential candidate.
Registration for parties to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates runs from May 18-20.
Syarief said executives from both parties had formed 'Team Six' and were currently discussing all of the candidate options to provide recommendations for both parties when they hold separate national leadership meetings on Monday at different locations.
He said Golkar wanted its chairman Aburizal Bakrie to be the presidential candidate, while the Democratic Party considered Golkar's Hidayat ideal to be pair up with Pramono Edhie Wibowo as his running mate. However, Syarief said Pramono was optional because the Democrats had a number of other vice presidential candidates.
'The Democrats wanted Aburizal and Democratic Party's chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to act as kingmakers. My party is also discussing the possibility of becoming an opposition party,' he said.
Democrats executives who joined the team are Syarief, Jero Wacik and Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono. Golkar's representatives are Hidayat, Agung Laksono and Idrus Marham.
So far two coalitions have been announced for the July 9 presidential election. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate Joko Widodo is being backed by the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB). The second coalition is the Gerindra Party, the National Awakening Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Justice Prosperous Party (PKS). (gda/nvn)
