National Mandate Party Nominates Three Names for Vice President

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: National Mandate Party meeting in Yogyakarta have nominated three of its senior members to run for vice president for President Yudhoyono, whose party leading by 5.5 percent in the preliminary result of the legislative election from its closest contender, Golkar Party.Amien Rais, former chairman of the party told reporters after a meeting with regional party officials at his residence in Yogyakarta on Sunday (19/4) the three names are Sutrisno Bachir current party leader, Hatta Radjasa, the State Secretary, and Amien himself.Amien refused the nomination because he said he is too old for the position, Hatta Radjasa who attended the meeting said the result of the meeting should not be leaked to the press further than what have been announced before, stressing that this meeting was suppose to be approving a coalition with SBY (initials Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono).Reporters were able to listen through the walls of Amien Rais' residence where the meeting was attended by officials from 27 provinces and heard Hatta Radjasa received support from several regional officials.Sutrisno Bachir who was reported a day earlier have different plans for coalition did not attend the meeting. The six provincial branch that did not attend the meting were Papua, West Papua, Nusa Tenggara West, Bengkulu, East Java and West Sumatera.BERNADA RURIT | BS