The Democratic Party (Demokrat) convention will nominate its candidate to contest the president’s post at the presidential election on July 9, said a senior party official.

Secretary of Demokrat’s high assembly Jero Wacik said the party would nominate its own presidential candidate and would not nominate a candidate for vice-president, as suggested earlier.

“A party which won over 11 percent of votes had named its candidate (for president). As such, we (Demokrat) too can name our candidate as we won about 10 percent of votes, he said in Jakarta yesterday.

Jero was referring to the quick count which showed that Gerindra won about 12 percent of votes while the Demokrat won over nine percent of votes in the parliamentary elections on April 9.

Democratic Party chairperson Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a closed door meeting yesterday to chart the direction of the party’s convention after quick count showed the party received only half of 20 percent votes polled in 2009.

Three individuals expected to contest for the president’s post are Joko Widodo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Prabowo Subianto (Gerindra) and Aburizal Bakrie (Golkar Party).

- Bernama