The National Awakening Party (PKB) patron and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was positive about his prospects in the upcoming 2009 presidential elections, after his recent nomination.

"I am optimistic. We have gained support from ulemas in villages. They will encourage their masses to support me (in the election) to help build a prosperous country," Gus Dur said Sunday in Jakarta, as quoted by detik.com news portal.

PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar said his party had nominated Gus Dur because the former president would help get the reform movement back on track.

"The reform movement has lost its direction and that's why we nominated Gus Dur, to help the reform movement reach its original goal," he said. Muhaimin called PKB cadres to unite and support Gus Dur in the election. "People have tried to break up our unity but I'm certain they will not be able to."

One political observer, however, from the University of Indonesia, Arbi Sanit, dismissed PKB's optimism, saying "Gus Dur's momentum has passed".

He criticized the party saying it was suffering from a leadership crisis with the nomination, adding that Gus Dur would lose to other candidates, which would include his successor Megawati Soekarnoputri and incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.