The party "has decided to name Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the general chairman of the Democrat Party," Amir Syamsuddin, the chairman of the meeting, announced at the meeting held following the resignation of former chairman Anas Urbaningrum after he was named suspect in a corruption case by the Corruption Eradication Commission.
SBY (Yudhoyono) who is also the country`s president had expressed willingness to take the post upon two conditions namely that he would only do it temporarily to salvage the party while he would refer a number of tasks to an executive chairman and supreme council representatives.
Amir said "he (Yudhoyono) is willing to take the post only temporarily for maximally two years for the purpose of consolidation and salvaging the party."
He said Yudhoyono was also only willing to become the party`s general chairman if an executive chairman was set up to help him carry out his tasks.
"Almost all of the tasks of the general chairman would be carried out by the executive chairman," he said.
He said Yudhoyono`s tasks as an advisory board chairman would also be referred to the supreme council deputy chairman.
Many district/city and provincial chapters have demanded Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take over the party`s leadership to salvage the party due to internal problems especially after the party`s electability dropped.
SBY has been considered by many party cadres as the only person who could restore public confidence in the party ahead of the general elections in 2014.
reporting by Juwita Trisna Rahayu; editing by Yoseph Hariyadi
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
