For that leaders of the party gathered in Sanur, Bali, on Saturday but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the party`s supreme council chairman was not seen at the venue when the meeting was formally opened by his son, who is also the party`s secretary general, Edhie Bhaskoro (Ibas) on Saturday afternoon.
President Yudhoyono has been mentioned as a strong candidate to become the new party`s general chairman.
Ibas said ahead of the opening of the meeting that the party needed a unifying figure but he did not mention any name.
A member of the party`s central executive board, Sutan Bhatoegana, meanwhile said if Yudhoyono was elected as the new general chairman he would symbolically become a unifier that would salvage the party.
He said the interest of the mass must be put above personal interest and therefore under "current emergency situation" SBY (Yudhoyono) must intervene.
"Regional aspirations have also focused on him," he added.
Ramadhan Pohan, the deputy secretary general, meanwhile said he believed the extraordinary meeting would finish quickly on Saturday evening nor two days as scheduled.
He said the meeting would be accelerated because "almost all district/city and provincial chapters have been united to support Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to become the new party`s general chairman."
Indonesia plans to hold general elections in 2014 and political parties meanwhile are expected to submit their lists of legislative candidates for the election soon. Only a party`s general chairman is allowed to sign the list.
reporting Ni Luh Rhismawati; editing by Yoseph Hariyadi
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
