Carlos Paath – Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie said he is considering asking the Democratic Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle to form a coalition with his party in the presidential election, claiming that the three parties had formed close ties.

"Golkar is close with the Democrats and the PDI-P [Democratic Party of Struggle] so politically it would make sense if we formed a coalition. We share the same vision for the country," he said.

But he quickly added that he would not consider being a vice presidential candidate, saying Golkar had chosen him to run for president. Aburizal said he has already decided on a running mate for next year's election and he would make the announcement in due course.

"Of course [I] have a vice presidential candidate. God willing, it will be announced in due course," he said on Saturday after breaking a fast with the Jagakarsa Betawi community.

He declined however, to reveal the identity of his running mate and said that person could be a politician or a professional. "It could be both. Politicians are not all good or bad just like reporters, not all of them are good or bad," he said.

Aburizal said that he would be ready if Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo was prepared to be his running mate. "I'm prepared to run with anybody. There are many smart Indonesians, but they must share my vision," he said.

Aburizal cited several criteria for someone to be his running mate. "The first criteria it has to be a good person. It's not enough to just be popular, but not a good person, because that will cause problems later," he said.

He said it was vital that his partner was on the same wavelength as himself.

"It has to match. I want the state to be prosperous. That means the state has the right to intervene and launch programs aimed to create prosperity for the people. "I cannot see me running with someone who has liberal values," he said.

Aburizal said winning the 2014 presidential election was not a priority. "A candidate with a liberal vision might just win but I won't vote for him. It is not just about winning but ruling well."

Aburizal said he was not bothered with polling results about his electability, saying he remained determined to run for president.

"We just carry on. Some said ARB's [Aburizal Bakrie's] electability is high. Some said at number 1, number 2, number 3, number 4, well just let them [say anything]. Let's not pay attention to that."

Aburizal said polls have got things wrong in the past both at home and abroad. "Surveys said the current Philippines president had no chance, but he still got elected. The same also happened to Jokowi [Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo], everyone said he would lose."

Previously, former Golkar chairman, Akbar Tanjung, now the party's chief advisor, called on his party to re-evaluate its decision to nominate Aburizal as the presidential candidate because of his low poll ratings.

"Pak Akbar was just trying to work out the strategy. Let's just see which one is better. But I'm confident with the solid foundation we have and with people's love for our party, I see no reason why we can't win," he said.