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Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla has supported the idea that his party should accommodate younger members in a bid to reinvigorate Golkar following its significant losses in the recent legislative and presidential polls.

“There must be regeneration and continuation. The party shouldn’t be monopolized by the older generation,” he told reporters in the Vice Presidential Office on Thursday.

Kalla said he had no problem with Golkar legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi’s plan to run for the Golkar chairmanship. “Everybody has the right to nominate themselves.”

Yuddy declared his intention to run for the top Golkar post on Wednesday during a meeting held to discuss the party’s performance in the recent elections.

However, Kacung Maridjan, a political analyst from Surabaya-based Airlangga University, said Yuddy would find it difficult to realize his leadership ambitions as he does not yet have strong support from the party’s boards at the provincial and regency levels.

“He’s a promising young politician. But he’ll find it hard to secure enough numbers from the party’s regional boards,” he said.

Senior Golkar member Aburizal Bakrie, who is currently the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, has also put his hand up to replace Kalla. With support from former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung and Golkar deputy chairman Agung Laksono, Bakrie has been busy since April organizing meetings with the party’s elite on the regional boards.

Bakrie’s camp plans to align Golkar with Yudhoyono’s next administration.

Another leadership contender, Surya Paloh, chairman of the party’s advisory council, is said to prefer making Golkar an opposition power rather then joining Yudhoyono.

State news agency Antara has reported that Golkar’s executive board in North Sumatra has already declared its support for Paloh.

“We’ve made our decision to support Surya Paloh in the upcoming national meeting,” said A Karim Lubis, the secretary of the party’s executive board in North Sumatra.

He said Paloh was known for his idealism and his strong desire to make Golkar more competitive.

Golkar is not expected to wait until December to hold its national annual meeting and will bring it forward to next month, with Kalla giving the green light for the schedule change.

On whether Golkar should join Yudhoyono’s government or serve as the opposition, Kalla said that would be up to the party’s next national executive board to decide.