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)