DEMOCRAT PARTY NEEDS POPULAR FIGURE AS NEW LEADER : OBSERVER

Jakarta, March 30 (ANTARA) - The ruling Democrat Party needs a popular figure to be its chairman to take over the role currently played by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono which is to diminish in 2014, a political observer said.

"The Democrat Party won (in the last general elections) because of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In 2014 there must be a new figure who is popular among the people to keep and increase its grassroot following. Such a figure is what the Democrat Party needs as its new chairman," the observer, Andrinof Chaniago, said here on Tuesday.

The Democrat Party will hold a congress in May to among other things elect a new chairman to succeed outgoing chairman Hadi Utomo.

Five names have so far been mentioned to run for the post, namely Marzuki Alie, the party's former secretary general who is now speaker of the House of Representatives, Andi Mallarangeng, the current sports and youths minister, Anas Urbaningrum, the party's associate chairman, Agus Hermanto and Djafar Hapsah.

"The people seem to like Andi Mallarangeng because people always look for him when they know he is in the delegation during a presidential visit," he said.

He said the role of chairman would be vital to attract people for the next 2014 general elections.

Andrinof said other candidates seemed to be less popular compared to Andi.

About Anas Urbaningrum he said he had the experience and organizational capability to help Andi build the organization to become a modern party as Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wishes.

"Andi and Anas could become a duo in the Democrat Party with the one playing the popular figure of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the other having political networks and organizational capability," he said.

Andi is one of those who had declared his candidacy while Anas and Marzuki had only said they would run only if supported by the party's regional executive boards.

In his declaration recently Andi said his target was winning 30 percent of the vote in the legislative elections in 2014, which according to Andrinof would be difficult to achieve because of the dwindling role of the chief patron, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in the party.