Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday chose the leader of the country's largest Muslim group as vice presidential candidate on her ticket for the July 5 election.
The choice of Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the moderate, 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), is seen as an effort to boost Megawati's waning popularity after her party, the secular Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), lost significant ground in April 5 parliamentary elections.
"Hasyim Muzadi has expressed his willingness to be part of a presidential and vice presidential duet," Megawati said in a speech at a park in central Jakarta where her father, Indonesia's first president Sukarno, proclaimed national independence in 1945.
Megawati faces a tough battle in the July 5 presidential election against former security minister and ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has been topping opinion polls, and former military chief Wiranto who is the nominee of the Golkar party that did best in the parliamentary elections.
Cleric Muzadi was upbeat during his turn at the lectern.
"Nahdlatul Ulama has no plan to set up a religious state but it wants to see religious values shine across this country," he said, adding that Megawati first courted him six months ago.
"The combination of me and Megawati will unite 'freedom' and 'God is Greatest'. The two should not be on different sides," said Muzadi, referring to the respective rallying cries of the nationalist and Islamic camps.
Before the announcement, PDI-P deputy chairman Roy Janis said the choice of Muzadi was aimed at bringing solid Muslim credentials to Megawati's re-election bid. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.
About 148 million people are eligible to vote in Indonesia's first direct presidential election. If no one candidate wins a majority, the poll will go to a run-off in September.
Founded in 1926, NU runs an extensive network of religious boarding schools and charitable institutions across the vast Indonesian archipelago.
Its strong grass-roots appeal has made it one of the country's most influential groups, but historically NU members have not voted as a bloc.
"It is a good combination for Megawati and now she can swing some votes from NU faithful to her," said Joseph Kristiadi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
VOTES FOR MEGAWATI?
Despite the joint ticket with Muzadi, many analysts say Megawati faces a tough battle for re-election.
Ousted former president Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur and a descendant of NU's founder, also hopes to run as a candidate for the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) and many NU members are expected to vote for him if he enters the race.
"Some clerics in the NU see Gus Dur as above the institution. If Gus Dur doesn't give his support many members of the NU will not go to Megawati," Kristiadi said.
Asked whether he and PKB would endorse the Megawati-Muzadi pair, Wahid, who led NU before becoming president in 1999, said: "He has not been given permission nor support. (The announcement) makes me object more.
PDI-P has tried for weeks to win Wahid's endorsement.
PDI-P slipped to second position in parliament by taking just 18.5 percent of the April 5 vote, a far cry from the 33.7 percent it won in 1999.
Recent opinion polls show Megawati lags far behind her former minister, Yudhoyono, who resigned in March and is the candidate of the fledgling Democrat Party.