Indonesian President Yudhoyono not running for third term in 2014

Indonesian President Yudhoyono not running for third term in 2014

2011-06-09 20:39:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday announced that neither he nor a member of his family would run for the 2014 presidency.

Yudhoyono, 61, who won Indonesia's 2004 presidential elections and is currently in his second term after being re-elected in 2009, made the announcement before beginning his general lecture at the 2011 Indonesian youth leadership forum at the Ballroom of Pacific Place in Jakarta, Indonesia, Antara news agency reported.

"I am not a 2014 presidential candidate," Yudhoyono said. "Neither will my wife nor my children be nominated for the presidency," he added, stating that he had not groomed anybody to run for the presidency in 2014 either. "Let the people and democracy speak for themselves in 2014."

The Indonesian President made the declaration to avoid allegations that he or Erwin Aksa, Chairman of the Young Indonesian Businessmen Association who organized the event in cooperation with the School of Economics at University of Indonesia, were using the forum as a platform to renominate himself and seek a third presidential term.

"God willing, I will serve out my term of office [in 2014]," Yudhoyono stated, adding that every Indonesian citizen had an equal right and opportunity to become a president.

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