Golkar Admits Competing Tightly with PDIP

Makassar, S Sulawesi (Antara) - Golkar Party General Chairman Aburizal Bakrie admitted here on Tuesday that his party will compete with the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) in vote collection in the upcoming legislative elections on April 9. "The two parties will always compete tightly. The margin would always be thin with either that of Golkar or PDIP being higher," he told newsmen aboard a flight from Makassar in South Sulawesi to Jakarta. He emphasized that Golkar Party is indeed strong in several regions outside Java. He added that he however, will continue to seek more votes by continuing to campaign. According to Political Weather Station survey, the legislative elections on April 9 will be won by either Golkar Party or PDIP. The executive director of the survey institute, Denny Ramdhani, stated that 20.3 percent of its respondents indicated that they will choose Golkar Party, while 19.3 percent chose PDIP. He added that the two parties have good network and cadres spreading evenly across the country. (*) Reporting by Ahmad Wijaya