Bambang Muryanto and Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono (HB) X and Vice Governor Sri Pakualam IX received another one-year tenure extension over the weekend, or a day before their previous three-year term extension ended on Sunday.

The presidential decree on the extension was handed over to the Sultan at the Yogyakarta Palace on Saturday by secretary of the Home Ministry Regional Autonomy Directorate General, Ujang Sudirman. Also present at the meeting were Vice Governor KGPAA Pakualam IX and the Sultan's brother GBPH Joyokusumo.

"The decree gives a mandate to the Yogyakarta governor to continue his term over the next one year. That way there will not be a vacuum in the provincial leadership," Ujang told reporters after delivering the decree, on Saturday.

Tenure extension was necessary because presently the House of Representatives has yet to approve the bill on Yogyakarta's special status, which among other things, regulates on how Yogyakarta governor and vice governor should be determined.

While Jakarta wants a democratic election for the governor and vice governor posts, Yogyakarta wants the posts automatically go to Yogyakarta Sultan and Pakualam of Pakualaman principality respectively cited historical reasons.

The decree, the second issued by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was signed by the President on Sept. 30, 2011, reportedly after a meeting with the Sultan and members of the House, which had basically agreed on the concept of the Sultan for governor.

"Hopefully within the next one year the deliberation of the bill on Yogyakarta special status will be completed," Sultan told reporters after the hand over of the decree.

The Sultan expressed confidence that one year would be sufficient for the House to finish deliberating the bill, especially because President also wanted the same. President, he added, had accepted the aspirations of the people of Yogyakarta.

"As long as there is no effort to contest legitimacy, I am sure it will be completed," he said.

Sultan also said that the Palace's internal regulation on the succession could not just be taken or included in the bill.

He said he would look at the bill's articles regarding the matter, especially concerning conditions where a sultan might not be considered capable of acting as governor, if, for example, he may be too young or too old. "We will see how it will be regulated in the bill," he said.

Sultan suggested that in a situation when a sultan was considered incapable of holding the post of governor, President could talk with the Yogyakarta Palace and the Pakualaman principality regarding who would be the governor or vice governor.

The palace has previously said it was ready to adjust its internal succession regulation within the bill as long as it was based on the concept of sultan for governor and governor for sultan.