JAKARTA: The Sultan of Yogyakarta yesterday declared before tens of thousands of his supporters that he would run for president next year, in yet another challenge to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's desire for a second term in office.

The Sultan's public declaration marked the culmination of efforts by his supporters who have been pushing him to challenge President Yudhoyono in the July election. At a grand audience at his palace in Keraton Yogyakarta, the 62-year-old Sultan Hamengku Buwono X said: 'In responding to the call of the motherland, I now declare that I will contest as a presidential candidate in 2009.'

His words were greeted with thunderous applause from the audience who shouted 'Hidup Sultan' or 'long live the king'.Then he pointed to the banners strung on the walls of the hall that read 'Apa bisa tahan' or 'how much longer can we endure'.

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