Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The government has decided to extend the tenure of Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubowono X by three years, in a bid to prevent a vacuum of power in the province.

On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had signed a decree on the extension of the governor's term of office.

"The President held a meeting with the Sultan to discuss the term extension by three years, in connection with the end of the governor's tenure on Oct. 9. This extension is to prevent the vacuum of power while the deliberation of the bill on Yogyakarta's status has yet to be completed," Mardiyanto said after the meeting at the presidential office.

Both Yudhoyono and Hamengkubowono have been widely touted as viable presidential candidates for the 2009 election. Following Hamengkubuwono's refusal last year to extend his tenure as governor, speculation was rife he would mount a presidential bid.

The bill on Yogyakarta's status as a special province is currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives.

Mardiyanto said the deliberation was stalled over whether a new mechanism to elect the province's governor and deputy governor was needed.

Unlike other provinces that elect their leaders, the sultan automatically becomes the governor of Yogyakarta. This special privilege dates back to the early years of the republic to honor the sultanate's decision to join the newly born country. The sultanate was the first independent state to pledge allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia.

Hamengkubuwono X's tenure ends on Wednesday.

According to Mardiyanto, three years will be enough to complete the deliberation and the dissemination of the bill.

He stressed the government had always maintained strong communication with the Yogyakarta administration and community, despite protests by people in the province claiming the government had abandoned them by delaying the deliberation.

Thousands of Yogyakartans – grouped under the Yogyakarta People's Movement – held a rally on Monday, demanding the reelection of both Hamengkubuwono and his deputy Paku Alas.

Hamengkubuwono said he accepted the government's decision to extend his tenure.

"I don't mind the extension, as long as it is not five years, because a five-year period equals one (gubernatorial) term. It just wouldn't make sense. I am also responsible to Yogyakartans (to complete the three years) and to support the completion of the bill," he said.

He declined to comment on his quest for the presidency. "I am not a presidential candidate and I don't have the capacity to explain this issue here and now," he said.

A number of surveys have revealed Hamengkubuwono stands a good chance of winning the vice presidential post, rather than the presidency. His father, the late Hamengkubuwono IX, was vice president between 1972 and 1977.