Mahfud Optimistic about Participating in Upcoming Presidential Election

Jakarta (Antara) - Former constitutional court chief justice Mahfud MD expressed optimism about his participation in the presidential election on July 9. "The possibilities are still open," he stated after visiting the central executive board of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) organization here on Thursday. He noted that his Nation Awakening Party (PKB) is still holding political dialog with other parties, especially the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP). PDIP emerged as the winner of the legislative elections held on April 9, although the total votes that it has garnered are still below the presidential threshold. This has led to the party to seek support from other political parties in order to meet the threshold. When questioned about the possibility of him being offered a vice presidential post by the Golkar Party following his meeting with Golkar's General Chairman and presidential candidate, Aburizal Bakrie, he hinted that the possibility was very small. "I did not reject it, but Golkar wants me to decide about it quickly while I still need more time to arrive at a decision," Mahfud remarked. (*) Reporting by Sigit Pinardi