Golkar picks Gus Solah as VP candidate

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Golkar Party named on Sunday National Commission on Human Rights deputy chairman Solahuddin Wahid as the running mate for its presidential candidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto.

Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung said the decision was made after cofounder of National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid signed a letter stating his endorsement of his brother Solahuddin's nomination as Golkar vice presidential candidate.

Wiranto and Solahuddin will register with the General Elections Commission on Tuesday.

"We have received a letter of support for the nomination of Solahuddin Wahid, which was signed by Gus Dur and PKB leader Alwi Shihab. As for the real support, we will discuss it after the KPU decides on Gus Dur's presidential bid," Akbar said after a plenary meeting, which did not end until around midnight.

The letter was conveyed by Alwi who delivered it to the Golkar headquarters in the West Jakarta, the venue of the plenary meeting. Wiranto was also at the meeting.

Solahuddin appeared at the Golkar office later.

Alwi also briefed Golkar executives on the results of a meeting in Tuban, East Java between Gus Dur and a number of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) influential clerics, who supported Gus Dur's presidential bid and Solahuddin's nomination as Wiranto's running mate.

Golkar had initially given PKB until Friday to decide on Solahuddin's partnership with Wiranto, although Gus Dur had verbally thrown his support behind the controversial pairing. The deadline was extended to 2 p.m. on Sunday, pending the conclusion of Gus Dur's meeting with the clerics.

Gus Dur previously had held a series of meetings with Wiranto before the latter won Golkar's mandate on April 21, but the possibility of an agreement appeared to break down when Gus Dur said he was against the nomination of a military man as presidential candidate.