Jakarta - Indonesia's Golkar Party on Wednesday named its chairman, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, as its presidential candidate, breaking away from the ruling coalition of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Golkar announced Tuesday that coalition talks with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party had collapsed because it did not agree with the terms.

Kalla has been asked to set up a team for his campaign for the July 8 presidential election and approach other parties to discuss a possible coalition, said a Golkar deputy chairman, Syamsul Muarif.

"The leaders of provincial branches have agreed to nominate the chairman as a presidential candidate," Syamsul said at a news conference after a party leadership meeting.

The Democratic Party was set to win the parliamentary elections that took place April 9 with about 20 per cent of the vote while Golkar and the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri were tied at around 14 per cent in early results.

An official final result of the vote count is not due until May 9.

Parties, or coalitions of parties, that win at least 20 per cent of seats in the 560-member House of Representatives, or 25 per cent of the popular vote, may nominate candidates for the presidential election.

Golkar would have to ally with other parties for it to be able to field a presidential candidate.

With a popularity rating at above 60 per cent, Yudhoyono could win outright and avoid a run-off, scheduled in September if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the vote.

His government has been credited with managing the economy well, improving security after a series of attacks blamed on Islamic militants and fighting corruption in one of the world's most graft-prone countries.

Yudhoyono's closest rival, Megawati, comes in a distant second in opinion polls.

Kalla has been considered an underdog, with polls indicating he would win less than 5 per cent of the vote.

"I'm grateful for this very heavy mandate," Kalla told reporters.

The Democratic Party is likely to ally with the Muslim-oriented Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), currently in fourth position in vote counting with about 8 per cent of the ballots. With its pivotal role, PKS is setting its sights on the vice presidential post.

A group of parties led by Megawati have threatened to boycott the presidential election, arguing that this month's legislative polls were marred by fraud and troubled voter rolls that prevented many from casting their ballots.

The General Election Commission has also been criticized for slow vote counting.

Megawati's PDI-P has discussed forming a possible coalition with smaller parties, including Hanura of former armed forces chief Wiranto and Gerindra, led by Prabowo Subianto, another former general who led the army special forces under former dictator Suharto.

Rights activists have accused Wiranto and Prabowo of human rights violations when they served in the military. (dpa)