Robertus Wardi – Since being forced to leave the party, Yogyakarta's Sultan Hamengkubuwono X is now in a better position to "be approached by political parties" as their candidate for the 2014 presidential election, Idrus Marham, secretary general of the Golkar Party, said on Saturday.

As of Thursday, when the Law on the Special Status of Yogyakarta was adopted by the House of Representatives, the sultan was obliged to give up his membership in Golkar, though he was respected as an influential party figure for many years.

That standing down from party politics was built into the law as a compromise for continuing the tradition of he Yogyakarta sultan automatically appointed governor, rather than through a democratic election process.

But Idrus said that such a stipulation would not prevent the sultan from participating in the presidential election. By leaving Golkar, other parties would likely petition the sultan to serve as their presidential candidate, Idrus said, though he added that he believed the sultan would remain "Golkar at heart."

"The sultan's soul and spirit will continue to be Golkar-oriented," Idrus said. He added that other parties would still be interested in taking the sultan on as a presidential or vice presidential candidate "because the sultan is a statesman."

Within Golkar itself there is talk of the possibility of having the sultan become Aburizal Bakrie's running mate – a proposition that some political observers say would not be prestigious enough for a Javanese king.

Idrus denied that Golkar was actively pushing to enlist the sultan as Bakrie's running mate. Idrus said the party has yet to decide on a suitable candidate.

With the choice of Bakrie's running mate still in question, Golkar officials say they proceeding with plans to mount a strong presidential campaign. Those plans include winning a substantial amount of House of Representatives seats in the legislative elections to be held in April 2014.

Golkar deputy chairman Theo L. Sambuaga told the Suara Pembaruan daily that he had on Friday led a Golkar delegation that included Idrus to the General Elections Commission (KPU) office to register the party for the legislative elections.

Meanwhile, Golkar executive Hajriyanto Y. Thohari said the party was ready for the KPU to begin verifying its candidates. "The only question for us is whether the KPU is ready to do the extra work of going through every detail in such a short period of time," he said.

Golkar's re-registration was the result of a recent decision by the Constitutional Court that required all political parties – including those represented in the House – to register. The rule was not in place during previous elections.

Golkar has said it is "quite disappointed" with the decision but will comply with the ruling of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the country.

"I think the Constitutional Court wants to promote the principle of equality before the law to avoid discrimination, so everybody must follow it," Hajriyanto said. He added that logically, parties which are already represented in the House should not need to register again.