A senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said on Tuesday that the party was waiting for the right time to nominate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as its presidential candidate.

Sabam Sirait, the former secretary-general of the opposition party, said that party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri had indicated support for the popular Jakarta governor.

Jokowi, he said, was very close to Megawati, a former president who has run for reelection twice and lost to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He said it was possible that Megawati, who has been granted the authority to nominate a presidential candidate, would hold an extraordinary congress to name Jokowi a candidate.

"The question is when. It's possible it will at the last minute. There will be a right time. Not now, as Jokowi would be heavily criticized," he said.

Jokowi has topped many surveys on potential presidential candidates even though neither he nor the party has confirmed his nomination. Jokowi, who was elected Jakarta governor in November last year, said he was focusing on managing the nation's capital city.