President Megawati Approves the Candidates for Vice Presidency

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The speaker of the People's ConsultativeAssembly (MPR) Amien Rais said that President Megawati Sukarnoputri hadapproved the five candidates for the vice presidency. The new vicepresident will be voted in the MPR Special Session this evening (25/7).

"When I asked [the President] about the candidates for the vice presidency,Mega said she did not prefer any one candidate," Amien said at thelegislature complex this afternoon (25/7). Amien added that PresidentMegawati is observing the process to elect vice president that will standalongside President Megawati up to 2004 with great interest. The President,Amien said, is prepared to cooperate with the candidate who gains the mostvotes. The elected vice president must cooperate with President Megawati.

Amien said that the MPR leaders are endeavouring to ensure that the electionprocess remains clean and transparent. There are five candidates for vicepresidency: Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Agum Gumelar, both former militarycommanders, Hamzah Haz from the United Development Party (PPP), AkbarTandjung from the Golkar Party and Siswono Yudo Husodo representing theFunctional Group. "The successful candidate will make one side happy anddisappoint the other. In a democracy that is what we should accept. Whoeverbecomes the new vice president will have been the lucky one," Amien said.

Regarding the students' rejection of the candidates who have been signalledout as New Order and military elements, Amien said, "I have to be carefulabout such matters. As the MPR speaker, I have to run the mechanisms andabide by the rules as stated in the Constitution, MPR Decrees, and MPRcodes. (Jhony Sitorus)