"It is possible that the presidential and vice presidential candidates that win the upcoming presidential race will ask the PD to join the government because it has 61 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR)," Salahudin stated here on Tuesday.
According to Salahudin, who is the director of the Indonesian Democracy for the Peoples Synergy (Sigma), the ruling PD no longer has a chance to take part in the presidential race except if it joins Gerindra, the Greater Indonesia Movement Party.
"That is the only option for the PD if it wants to support a presidential candidate pair. This opportunity can only be used by PD if it announces its support before the Prabowo-Hatta duo registers at the General Elections Commission (KPU)," Salahudin reiterated.
As of now, two political party coalitions are set to contest in the upcoming July 9 presidential election.
One of the coalitions is led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) with Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as its presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The other one is the alliance led by Gerindra with Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa as its presidential and vice presidential hopefuls.
Salahudin said that it was now impossible for the PD to support the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla duo because the later had already registered at the KPU.
Salahudin emphasized that if the PD did not support the Prabowo-Hatta pair then it will just become a spectator in the presidential race.
"I think, if the PD did not take part in the presidential election, it will constitute a political failure of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," he affirmed.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
