By Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Indonesia Correspondent

JAKARTA: Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla has said he will challenge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the July elections if his party asks him to do so.

JK, as he is popularly known, is now the country's Vice-President. The leaders of Golkar's provincial offices threw their support behind him for the top post when he met them in Jakarta earlier this week, said his communications adviser Muklis Hashim.

'Pak JK told them he is ready if the party asks him to run for president,' Mr Muklis told The Straits Times, referring to the heads of Golkar offices from Indonesia's 33 provinces. 'But it will yet have to go through a process.'

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