BE CAREFUL IN ELECTING PRESIDENT, MPR CHIEF SAYS

Jakarta, April 29 (ANTARA) - People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Hudayat Nurwahid has called on the people to be careful in electing presidential and vice presidential candidates in the July 8 presidential election.

Nurwahid made the call on Wednesday at a function to inaugurate two members of the Democratic Party faction, namely Nurhayati Ali Assegaf to replace Achmad Fauzi, and Neny R Marsi to replace Sarjan Tahir.

"In connection with the July 8 presidential election, I would like to say that we as voters should be careful to decide on who will be the next president and vice president," Nurwahid said the two hopefuls should be able to determine the fate of the country's future.

He added that the people should fully support whoever would be elected president and vice president in the upcoming presidential election.

"We all agree that the next leaders are required to have a high commitment to keeping the future of Indonesia," Nurwahid said, adding that requirement was not limited to president and vice president only, but also for all leaders at all levels of government.

According to him, there were a lot of problems had yet to be overcome in this democratic era.

He said the basic problems currently facing the country include poverty, unemployment, corruption, and lack of law enforcement.