Indonesian Presidents' party triples support
Updated
Indonesians are waiting to know what team the President will be taking into the Presidential election in July. The results of the national parliamentary election appear to have boosted Susilo Bamgbang Yudhoyono's chances of re-election. In the results just published at the weekend, the President's Democratic Party took 21 per cent of the vote - a big improvement from its seven per cent five years ago. The Golkar Party and the PDI-P of Megawatti Sukarnoputri both gained around fourteen per cent of the vote each. Both intend to contest the Presidential election. The big question now for Indonesians is who SBY as the front-runner will choose as his Vice Presidential running mate.
Presenter: Karon Snowdon
Speaker: Indonesian political commentator Wimar Witoelar.
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SNOWDON: Last months' parliamentary elections have boosted the tiny Democrat Party - which came into being as a platform for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first run at the presidency five years ago.
The Party's tripling of its vote to 21 per cent has given a big boost to the President's re-election chances. It's the only party that came close to the necessary vote to nominate a candidate without the need for a coalition partner.
Long time political commentator Wimar Witoelar say the result is crucial to Indonesia's continuing democratisation.
WIMAR: Contrary to what people feared of the rights of Suharto militarISTS, of which there are two leading new parties, the Gerindra, led by General Prabowo and Hanura led by General Wiranto, combined the only gains a total of less than nine per cent, so the 91 per cent of the population do not vote for the militaristic party. The other one is for those who are concerned about the rights of militants and radical Islamist Party. In total, those also got a very small size of the vote, about 10 per cent, So the majority are moderate, secular, Liberal-Nationalist Parties, and that I think it is a sign of stability.
SNOWDON: The next election phase takes place in July - President SBY is expected to announce his Vice Presidential running mate soon. Wimar Witeolar is already voting for the well regarded Governor of Indonesia's Central Bank, Boediono, who goes by just one name.
WIMAR: He is currently the Governor of the Bank of Indonesia, which is an illogical position to select vice-president from, but at least he proves the point that SBY can appoint anyone with his majority in the party and Yudhoyono could symbolise clean government and a moderate posture, so that's one name. The other name that is possible is he might just enter into a coalition with Megawatti's PDIP. That would be alright, because outside of her, the PDIP has many people who are at the least secularist and not Islamic extremists and not particularly corrupt. So it could be Yudhoyono, it could be somebody from the Megawatti PDIP.
SNOWDON: The former ruling party Golkar can't be completely dismissed. The current Vice President Jusuf Kalla has been named the Party's candidate and his Vice running mate is former military general Wiranto, who is the candidate of a small party, Hanurah - the People's Conscience Party. Mohamed Hikam, the Kalla-Wiranto team's spokesman says Golkar's runner-up success in the parliamentary elections is a good stepping stone to July.
HIKAM: It going to be very good opportunity for Golkar now with Hanurah.
SNOWDON: So, Mr Wiranto is fairly confident now?
HIKAM: Oh certainly, because even from the recent polling, Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto got a very good result with this double digits, compared to before the parliamentary elections recently, So that mean that President SBY will face a very stiff challenge.
SNOWDON: Wimar Witoleor believes the team Kalla has very little chance. He says the Golkar party is factionalised and a much reduced version of its old self.
He believes Wiranto is unpopular and his Party gained only three per cent of the parliamentary vote.
WIMAR: But like in football, you cannot call the score until the game is over. The reason I say they don't have much chance is, apart from the fact that neither of them is particularly popular with the general public. Wiranto's party, Hanurah gained only three per cent of the vote, although people of course are concerned about him as a person, but as a political entity, he should not be regarded as a serious threat.
