PK reiterates: 'No to Habibie'

PK reiterates: 'No to Habibie'

SURABAYA: Justice Party (PK) president Nur Mahmudi Ismail
reiterated the party would not nominate incumbent President B.J.
Habibie as the next president.

"I need to keep repeating this, because many people still
don't believe it," he told some 5,000 supporters attending a
party rally here. "Our presidential candidate is Didin
Hafiddudhin, so it's clear that we won't nominate Habibie."

Nur Mahmudi himself used to work at the Agency for the
Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), a state agency
once chaired by Habibie.

At the gathering, he said the party would not ally itself with
the Golkar Party, which had nominated Habibie, saying that
instead PK would cooperate with as many Muslim-based parties as
possible.

Recently, PK signed an agreement with the National Mandate
Party and the United Development Party, stressing that they would
fight against the pro status quo.

Mahmudi also said his party had proposed making a stembus
accord agreement with Muslim-based Crescent Star Party, a party
which has so far refused to form alliances with other parties.

A stembus accord is an agreement -- made prior to election day
-- between two parties that states that one of the parties in the
agreement will give its remaining share of the vote to another
party which gains more support. (nur)