REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Former Central Executive Board (DPP) Golkar Party Akbar Tanjung opposed sole candidacy in general election 2019. He said it was against the spirit of democracy. 

"There should be a competition in democracy," he said in a written statement received by Republika.co.id on Wednesday.

He assessed people will be forced to choose if there is only one candidate. "It is certainly against and harm the democracy, where there must be competition," he reiterated.

Therefore, Akbar welcomed the proposed solution to hold 2019 presidential candidates convention. He assessed it is as one of the efforts to prevent sole candidate in 2019 presidential election.

Moreover, through the convention, Akbar expected many people will be encouraged to show in their qualities and integrities as candidate. Senior politician of the Golkar party said it will provide alternative of choices of leaders for Indonesian people.

There are 10 parties that passed their representatives to House of Representatives (DPR). Namely, Nasdem Party, PKB, PKS, PDI-P, Golkar Party, Gerindra Party Democratic Party, PAN, PPP and Hanura Party. Meanwhile, the parties that will participate in 2019 presidential election, in addition to ten parties which currently in parliament are PKPI, PSI, Perindo, PBB, Garuda Party, and Berkarya Party.

The parties must communicate related to the threshold of submitting the presidential and vice presidential candidate or presidential threshold as regulated in Article 222 of Election law. Akbar explained the other political parties must have at least 20 percent of seats at DPR period 2014-2019 in order to be able to support the other candidates than Joko Widodo (Jokowi) from PDI-P. Another requirement, the parties had 25 percent of vote in 2014 election.

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