"I have learned 36 so far. I hope others would appear," Tudhoyono said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hoped more would emerge to become presidential candidates for the 2014 election.

"I have learned 36 so far. I hope others would appear," he said to newsmen here on Wednesday while awaiting the arrival of Constitutional Court Chairman Mahfud MD for a meeting.

Last February the President said he had recorded 26 candidates. Meanwhile the Indonesia Survey Institute recently released 24 names including Mahfud MD, former vice president Jusuf Kalla, former military figure Prabowo and former finance minister Sri Mulyani.

The Indonesia Magazine led by senior journalist Gunawan Moehammad meanwhile plans to reveal 36 names of candidates.

Mahfud MD said, after being received by the President, that he was glad for being included among the candidates in the survey results.

However he said that survey results were not political facts and therefore he could not comment much about them.

"But I have always said that being glad is not the same as wanting to. I dare not say I want to as an opinion is not a fact. It is clear they are mere survey results and they may be different from political facts," he said.

Mahfud MD met with the President to report about the end of his term in April next year. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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