Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The political romance between former President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X appears to have blossomed on Monday, fueling speculation that he will run as Megawati's deputy in the upcoming presidential election.

The sultan hosted Megawati and her husband, Taufik Kiemas, for dinner at the Yogyakarta Palace on Monday, less than a week after Megawati, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, hosted the sultan for breakfast in Jakarta. The meeting was also just a day ahead of today's PDI-P national meeting at which Megawati may announce her running mate.

Asked what the trio had discussed during the dinner, a coy Taufik said only Megawati, the sultan and God would know.

Six hours before the dinner, Hamengkubuwono, who is the governor of Yogyakarta, and Taufik, who heads the PDI-P's advisory council, attended a conference held by the PDI-P's local branch at the Yogyakarta Expo Center. The sultan, a senior member of PDI-P rival Golkar Party, said he expected the PDI-P to enhance its role in developing the country and improving the welfare of its people.

A banner was unfurled during the conference, with PDI-P members from Kulon Progo district calling for a Megawati-Hamengkubuwono pairing in July's presidential election.

Sitting in the front row of the conference, the sultan smiled at the banner while thousands of PDI-P members participating in the event shouted their support. In his remarks, Taufik Kiemas said that he was happy to bring together his wife and the sultan, whom he described as one of his "very close friends."

"I think this banner is far more important for participants here at this meeting than hearing my speech is," Taufik said.

Taufik said that Megawati and the sultan shared much in common, including their nationalistic approaches to development and their political pedigrees.

Hamengkubuwono is the son of former the vice president and national independence hero, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX. Megawati is the eldest daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia's founding president.

"Their roots are similar. They are members of the families of the nation's founding fathers, children of this country's reformists," Taufik said, adding that everyone who cared about Indonesia's sovereignty should support the pairing.

Speaking after the conference, the sultan said that he was yet to make a decision over whether he would seek the presidency or settle for the vice presidency. "Just wait for the PDI-P conference tomorrow [Tuesday] and see," the sultan said.

PDI-P members have expressed hope that the sultan will join Megawati's ticket, but the sultan's campaign team has insisted that he will only run as a presidential candidate.

As the PDI-P national conference approached, however, the sultan's campaign adviser, Sukardi Rinakit, said that the sultan would likely run as a vice presidential candidate if paired with Megawati.

Despite all the indications that the pairing was set to be announced at the PDI-P meeting, Taufik told journalists that other candidates were still in the running to join Megawati's ticket.

Among others reportedly being considered are People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid, former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto. "I think all of them will attend tomorrow's conference," Taufik said.

The meeting is to be held at the Sunan Hotel in Solo, Central Java Province.