PAN OPTIMISTIC IT WILL WIN 84 HOUSE SEATS

Rembang, C Java, Jan 10 (ANTARA) - The National Mandate Party (PAN) expressed its optimism here on Saturday that it would win 84 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) or around 15 percent of national votes in the legislative elections to be held next April.

"From 77 electoral regions in Indonesia PAN minimally will be able to get one seat," its general chairman, Sutrisno Bachir, said when visiting charismatic Islamic ulema KH Mustafa Bisri.

He predicted PAN might possibly only fail to win a seat in four of the electoral regions namely West Sulawesi, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and West Papua.

The failure in the four regions however will be offset by higher gains from regions such as Yogyakarta, Jambi, Southeast Sulawesi, Central Java I and East Java where PAN predicted to be able to win at least two seats.

Another region where PAN might possibly have difficulties winning seats is Central Java III covering Pati, Rembang, Blora and Grobogan districts. In these districts PAN is still considered representing certain mass organizaton.

PAN however remains optimistic it could still collect big votes in every electoral region so that each electoral region would have a representative in the DPR, he said.

Bachir said his optimism was based upon the party's performance in Central Java II where it could win one seat after it failed to get one before following more than a year of familiarization.

He said PAN cadres had now been able to mingle with community members, community leaders, ulemas, farmer leaders and had often reached out to them.

Bachir considered survey results that stated that PAN would not be able to collect big votes incorrect.

He said the institutes that carried out the surveys had also been supported by sponsors so that what they represented might not have been true.