GOLKAR RESPECTS YUDHOYONO'S CRITERIA FOR RUNNING MATE

Jakarta, April 20 (ANTARA) - The Golkar Party respects the criteria which Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has set for the figure he will accept as his running mate in the upcoming presidential election, a Golkar executive said.

The chairman of the Golkar Party's faction in the House of Representatives, Priyo Budi Santoso, said Golkar had already understood the signal Yudhoyono had given regarding the vice presidential candidacy.

Golkar is now seeking the vice presidential post after ending up in second place in the recent legislative elections according to vote counting by the General Elections Commission so far. It collected only around 14 percent of the vote while President Yudhoyono's Democratic Party bagged more than 20 percent.

But Santoso also said Yudhoyono's criteria were not yet clear with regard to who exactly he would choose to be his running mate.

He said under the criteria very many figures had an equal chance to be Yudhoyono's running mate, including independent or non-party figures.

Santoso said Golkar would take a final decision on the matter at a special leadership meeting to be held on April 23.

Former Golkar chairman Akbar Tanjung meanwhile said Yudhoyono's statement on the vice presidency should be used as an input for Golkar to determine who it would propose as Yudhoyono's running mate.

In the criteria Yudhoyono had clearly stated his wish for a running mate so that Golkar could just submit potential names that met the criteria , he said.

"This could be used as an input for other parties that wish to coalesce with the Democratic Party and also for political parties that wish to submit their vice presidential candidates. Therefore, it would be better if Golkar submits more than one candidate to him," he said.

Tanjung said by submitting more than one name Yudhoyono would have many choices and the possibility that Golkar candidates would be turned down would be smaller.

He said it was also not impossible that Yudhoyono would just choose one candidate but it could also happen that he would refer it to Golkar our of respect for the party. If this was what he would do Golkar must not just present one name as thereby it could be seen as forcing Golkar's wish on Yudhoyono, he said.

Asked about Golkar cadres who could meet the criteria, Tanjung declined to mention names, saying Golkar had a lot of cadres who could meet the criteria and therefore it must not give just one name for Yudhoyono to consider.

"So if we just give names that meet the criteria Yudhoyono may just pick one of them who meets his wish. By submitting many names the chance of him rejecting a Golkar cadre will be smaller," he said.

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