TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A national leaders meeting held by the United Development Party (PPP) last Saturday, concluded that the party will withdraw its support of Gerindra's presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto. "Based on the decision from the leaders’ meeting, PPP has not made alliances with anyone," said Mochammad Romahurmuziy, PPP secretary general, in Jakarta yesterday.

According to Romy, a partnership would be based on PPP's decision at a national work meeting in Bandung last February, which required the presidential candidate and coalition to be approved by national leaders meeting, not by the chairman. Without the leaders’ decision, he said that PPP was still open to coalition with other parties.

PPP Chairman Suryadharma Ali announced his party's support for Prabowo last Friday. The coalition would increase Prabowo's votes to 18 percent, from both Gerindra and PPP, close to the required minimum national votes of 25 percent set by the constitution.

Other than calling off the coalition, PPP also dismissed Suryadharma. His removal as chairman will be officially executed during the national work meeting on Wednesday. PPP Deputy Chairman Emron Pangkapi is slated to replace Suryadharma.

Suryadharma and Prabowo visited PPP leader Kiai Haji Maemun Zubari in Rembang, Central Java, yesterday. During the visit, he asserted that his party was still allied with Gerindra. "The leaders' meeting is mistaken," he insisted.

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