Islamic parties join forces with candidate

Islamic parties join forces with candidate

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four Islamic-oriented parties agreed on Saturday to nominate
common presidential and vice presidential candidates.

"We will announce our presidential and vice presidential
candidates on Monday. The names of the candidates are still being
discussed," incumbent vice president and chairman of the United
Development Party (PPP) Hamzah Haz told reporters after a meeting
at his residence in Bogor, West Java.

The other three parties are the Reform Star Party (PBR), the
Crescent and Star Party (PBB) and the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS). The PKS last week said that it had decided to work as an
opposition in the House of Representatives and would not field
either a presidential or vice presidential candidate. It also
said that it would not enter into an alliance with any other
party.

Hamzah had earlier been courted by incumbent president
Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P). Megawati finally settled on Tuesday on Hasyim
Muzadi, the chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama, as her vice
presidential running mate.

Seven major parties, including the PPP, are eligible to
compete in the July 5 presidential election by virtue of their
shares of the vote in the April 5 legislative election. A party
has to win 3 percent of the total seats in the House or 5 percent
of the popular vote for the House to take part in the election.
Parties failing to pass the threshold, however, are allowed to
enter into coalitions.

Hamzah, however, still held open the possibility of the PPP
entering into a coalition with the Golkar Party, which has
nominated Gen. (ret) Wiranto as its presidential candidate.

"All the possibilities are still open ... just wait until
tomorrow," he was quoted by Detik.com as saying.

It is understood that Wiranto is also considering selecting
Solahuddin Wahid, an NU leader and deputy chairman of the
National Commission on Human Rights, as his vice presidential
candidate.

The meeting was also attended by PBR chairman Zainuddin MZ,
PKS chairman Hidayat Nurwahid and PBB deputy chairman Ahmad
Sumargono.

It is unclear whether a coalition of Islamic-oriented parties
will actually be able to agree on common presidential and vice
presidential candidates, given that the PBB and PBR are
reportedly also supporting Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and Jusuf Kalla, the presidential and vice presidential
candidates from the Democratic Party.