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President hopefuls in Indonesia's election finally announced on Monday their running mates shortly before the expiration of registration period slated for May 20 with some of them going through weary talks to nominate the vice president candidates.
Winner of the April 9 parliamentary election, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), announced former vice president Jusuf Kalla as the sidekick for its president hopeful Joko Widodo to run in the July 9 presidential election.
Jusuf Kalla served as vice president to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2004 to 2009. The Golkar party senior executive failed to assume presidency in the 2009 election.
The selection of Jusuf Kalla was finally agreed by chairpersons of political parties joining in coalition to support Joko Widodo's candidacy late Sunday night.
"We have the conviction, by God's willing, that we can be able to bring about movement of change in this country that we love for, " Joko Widodo said in declaration of he and his running mate to run in the July 9 presidential election.
The announcement about Jusuf Kalla's selection came up after the meeting of Golkar party Chairman Aburizal Bakrie with PDI-P Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri in the latter's residence Sunday night.
Aburizal was officially mandated by his party on Sunday as the party's only figure allowed to bid for presidential or vice presidential candidate in the 2014 election.
The PDI-P coalition was reinforced by three party allies that consisted the Nation Awakening Party, National Democrat and People 's Conscience (Hanura) Party. The coalition would dominate 207 of the total 560 seats in parliament.
Previously Joko Widodo had postponed the announcement of his running mate for several times.
According to local media, there have been intense maneuvers from his party allies, Joko's own party and external parties who wanted to place their figures to run with the Jakarta governor popularly known for his nickname Jokowi in the presidential election.
In another development, the president hopeful from the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Prabowo Subianto was scheduled to declare Hatta Radjasa as his running mate to run in the July 9 election.
Hatta Radjasa is the chairman of the National Mandate Party. He had recently resigned from his post as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy related to his nomination as Prabowo's vice president candidate.
The Gerindra party's coalition would occupy 201 seats in the parliament.
Meanwhile, the ruling Democrat Party has decided not to incline to coalition of parties supporting Joko Widodo or Prabowo Subianto.
Speaking in the Democrat Party's executive board meeting held on Sunday, the party's chairman President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the party would take final decision on May 20 regarding its political aspiration.
President Yudhoyono added that his party was ready to become the opposition to the upcoming government.
Analysts said earlier that Democrat would likely to coalesce with the Golkar party to declare their own president and vice president candidates to run in presidential election.
Coalition of the two parties would occupy 152 seats in parliament.
