Jakarta – Indonesia's second-largest party in parliament said on Tuesday it would support Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri if she were to take over from the embattled incumbent and serve out his term.

Such backing from Golkar would put a majority of MPs behind Ms Megawati should she replace President Abdurrahman Wahid, whose term as the troubled country's first democratically-elected leader ends in 2004.

Ms Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) holds the largest block of seats in parliament and together with Golkar could command a majority.

"The condition is that the government must be responsive to criticism by the parliament. If the government works within this then there would be no problem [for Ms Megawati] until 2004," Golkar party chairman Akbar Tandjung said.

Ms Tandjung, who is also parliamentary speaker, did not openly call for Mr Wahid to step down or for Ms Megawati to take over. But he indicated his party would back reported conditions set by Ms Megawati to rule the giant archipelago, which has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years.

Ms Megawati, who has so far been guarded on her own ambitions, set the conditions during talks with political leaders working to topple Mr Wahid, the Media Indonesia daily said, quoting an unnamed source close to the vice-president.

These include guarantees she won't be challenged before her term ends. The source said she was also demanding the vice-presidency be left vacant and that annual sessions of the top legislature, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) – which has the power to sack and appoint presidents – be abandoned.

"Regarding the necessity of the vice-presidency, it can be discussed in the MPR session ... and Golkar also questions [the need] for the annual MPR session," Mr Tandjung said.

Calls for the near-blind Mr Wahid to resign have increased since parliament censured him in February over two graft scandals. Mr Wahid has rejected the censure as "baseless".

Mr Wahid and several other political leaders last week rejected a suggestion that one way out of the mounting political crisis would be to change the constitution to allow Ms Megawati to run government and turn his job into a largely ceremonial role.

Fears are growing that as the political temperature rises, Mr Wahid's sometimes fanatical supporters could turn violent. Thousands have already joined suicide squads vowing to fight to the death in Mr Wahid's defence.

Parliament is due to meet at the end of April to consider its response to Wahid's reply to the censure. A second formal reprimand, which could pave the way for an impeachment hearing by the top legislature, is considered almost inevitable.