T

he ruling Democratic Party confirmed it would not nominate a presidential candidate as the General Elections Commission (KPU) wrapped up its registration of presidential tickets on Tuesday.

The Gerindra Party'€™s presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa registered with the commission after receiving the endorsement of Gerindra, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

The Democratic Party leadership reiterated its stance of joining neither Prabowo'€™s camp nor that of his rival Jakarta Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo in the July 9 presidential election.

Speaking on Tuesday, party executive chairman Syariefuddin Hasan read out the six-point statement that was drafted over the weekend by party chairman President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

On Sunday, Yudhoyono said in his speech following the party'€™s national leadership meeting, that the party had decided to sit out the election by not supporting either Prabowo'€™s or Jokowi'€™s presidential bid and party members would be recommended to vote for the candidate whose party platform was consistent with that of the Democratic Party.

'€œThe Democrats will scrutinize the ideas that the presidential candidates are proposing,'€ said Syariefuddin. '€œLater, the Democratic Party will decide which candidate to vote for.'€

Yudhoyono said Sunday'€™s meeting had also agreed that the final decision would be in the hands of the chairman and the party'€™s supreme council.

The Democratic Party, which won the 2009 legislative election after securing more than 20 percent of the vote, slumped to fourth position in the April 9 legislative election with 10.1 percent of the vote, which translated into 61 seats in the House of Representatives.

However, in the six-point statement, Yudhoyono also provided hints that his party could support Prabowo as it stated that the party wanted to ensure that Yudhoyono'€™s programs would be sustained beyond his term of office.

Last week, Prabowo said after a meeting with Yudhoyono at the State Palace that he was aware of Yudhoyono'€™s achievements while in office, and that the country'€™s next leader needed to maintain them.

Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon said there was a possibility that the Democratic Party might unofficially support Prabowo.

He claimed that Yudhoyono personally told Prabowo during a meeting at his private residence in Cikeas, West Java, on Monday that he would support a Prabowo-Hatta ticket.

Media reports have also said that Hatta, whose daughter Aliya Rajasa is married to Yudhoyono'€™s youngest son and Democratic Party secretary-general Edhie Baskoro '€œIbas'€ Yudhoyono, emerged from the meeting saying that the two sides had many similar ideas.

Syariefuddin, however, denied his party was now leaning toward Prabowo. '€œWe thank [him] if Prabowo said he would continue Yudhoyono'€™s programs in the future. [However] we will review whether his campaign promises and future programs on the economy, security, people'€™s welfare, justice and foreign policy are in line with those of the Democrats,'€ Syariefuddin said.

Ibas said that '€œwe will wait and see whether or not we can give [Prabowo] our votes.'€