"I predict Priyo and Aburizal will compete tightly in the congress later because both of them have huge support from the voters," Ali Yahya, the general chairman of Satkar Ulama, (one of the partys wing organizations), noted in a written statement received here on Friday.
A total of 544 voters will vote in the congress scheduled in Bandung, West Java, from November 30 to December 3, comprising one voter from the central executive board, 34 from provincial boards, 502 from district boards, and 10 from founding organizations and organizations initiated by Golkar.
Yahya remarked that both Aburizal and Priyo Budi Santoso have made available the list of their supporters.
Aburizal claimed that he has garnered 460 votes while Priyo said he had 380 supporters. Other contenders such as H.R. Agung Laksono had got 285 and Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita had 175 supporters.
"Based on the figures, Aburizal and Priyo, who both have huge support, are forecast to compete tightly," he noted.
He explained that the real voters in the congress are not just provincial boards that number only 34 but also district boards totaling around 500.
"Moreover, politics is very dynamic and may change drastically," he added.
Ali Yahya stated that the decision to reschedule the congress from January 2015 to November 30, 2014, will give lesser time to the contenders to consolidate their votes.
As a result of this development, it will become difficult for the contenders to coalesce, thereby reducing the number of candidates from initially seven to only those who have already received written statements of support from eligible voters.
"Now, we see that Aburizal and Priyo Budi Santoso have the largest number of voters," he stated.
Golkar Party spokesman Tantowi Yahya noted that strong appeals have been made by several provincial boards urging Aburizal Bakrie to seek a reelection.
"So far, only Icals (Aburizal Bakries) name has emerged while the other candidates, whose names have been spoken about in the mass media, have not yet confirmed their participation," he remarked.
He said that contenders such as Budi Santoso, Agung Laksono, and other young figures still have a likelihood of winning the election.
"Priyo is good and has his own supporters and so are Agung and the others. So, they all have a chance," he revealed.
Priyo, meanwhile, has stated that he is ready to deal with the consequences of the decision to accelerate the implementation of the congress and was optimistic that he could defeat Aburizal.
"The voter support for me is solid. I am convinced that the voters would use their conscience and rationale in the election for the future glory of Golkar Party," he affirmed.
Priyo, who is a former house speaker, said he believed that the voters would not want to re-experience the failures that the party had encountered in the legislative and presidential elections this year.
The Golkar Party lost in the legislative elections on April 9 to finish second to the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, and it also failed to nominate its general chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, as a candidate for the presidential election.
Priyo remarked that Golkar Party faces tougher future challenges as the next legislative and presidential elections in 2019 would be conducted simultaneously, and thus, fresher, more energetic and acceptable figures would be needed and not "a figure that would only burden the Golkar Party."
(Reporting by Riza Harahap/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
