Kaban elected PBB leader

SURABAYA: Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban won the leadership of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) by a landslide for the next five years during the party's second congress here on Sunday.

Kaban bagged 283 votes, outdoing his strongest contenders party executive Hamdan Zoelva (61 votes) and former deputy chairman Zahar L. Hassan (47 votes).

Outgoing party leader State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra, managed to garner only eight votes, but was later elected supervisory board chief.

Despite his election, Kaban said he would not resign as a cabinet minister, vowing to allocate equal time to the two positions. -- Antara