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Kalla to pair with Jokowi, Golkar officials predict
Former vice president Jusuf Kalla will most likely be the running mate of Joko âJokowiâ Widodo, the presidential candidate nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its coalition partners, in the July 9 presidential election, a senior Golkar party official has predicted
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ormer vice president Jusuf Kalla will most likely be the running mate of Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, the presidential candidate nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its coalition partners, in the July 9 presidential election, a senior Golkar party official has predicted.
Golkar senior official Zainal Bintang said Kalla himself had directly told him that he had been appointed [by the PDI-P and its coalition partners] to be Jokowi's vice presidential candidate.
'It is confirmed. The decision was made after a long discussion process. The PDI-P is agreed about this,' he told journalists on the sidelines of the party's national leaders meeting (Rapimnas) in Jakarta on Sunday.
Separately, another Golkar senior official, who wished to remain anonymous, concurred with Zainal. 'Yes, it's true,' the official told The Jakarta Post when asked for clarification about the appointment of the former Golkar chairman.
Golkar is holding the Rapimnas to determine whether it will join with one of the two existing coalitions ' led by the PDI-P and the Gerindra Party ' or whether it would rather join forces with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party to set up a new coalition.
In his speech during the opening ceremony, Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie called on his fellow party members to recall the mandate as presidential candidate the party had granted to him during a Rapimnas in 2012.
'I have often said that power is not the objective of either me or the Golkar Party. It is only an instrument to achieve a greater goal: the prosperity of all Indonesians,' Aburizal said.
'In this regard, I don't have personal ambition. My focus is not only on seeking a position and power in the election on July 9. My heart and mind is set on a path to unity during which I will be hand-in-hand with others to establish a strong government, with support from the majority of members of the legislature,' he went on.
Earlier, PDI-P secretary general Tjahjo Kumolo said in a statement that the party and its coalition partners were still discussing a potential vice-presidential candidate to run with Jokowi in the upcoming presidential race.
'Pak Jokowi and Ibu Megawati [PDI-P chairwoman], accompanied by leaders from our coalition members, will publicly announce the decision at the appropriate time,' he said. (ebf)
