Mr. Habibie is pushing ahead with plans that would defer selection of the next president until the end of 1999.
It would not take much political warfare over that issue to bring the nation to a spectacle it has not witnessed since 1825 -- putting the selection of the next president in the hands of the House of Representatives.
This means that any changes that are made will not affect the selection of the next chief executive, who will be chosen in 2007 for a five-year term.
Orange County supervisors last week asked for the public's input on the selection of the next sheriff, seeking questions the board should ask of the candidates and criteria on which nominees should be evaluated.
It could put the selection of the next president in the hands of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1825.
He also intends to play a role in the selection of the next City Council speaker, who will be elected by the Council in the beginning of 2002.
As Election Day approaches in the United States, the Chinese are paying closer attention to the selection of the next president.
ROME -- A senior Vatican official called Cardinal Roger Mahony's participation in the selection of the next pope "troubling," but said there was no formal procedure to stop the retired Los Angeles archbishop from attending the conclave next month.
But a ministry spokesman in Beijing said Tuesday that the selection of the next I.M.F.
As a result the selection of the next secretary general just became less interesting, but more important.
But the party is also determined to retain a grip on the selection of the next generation of MPs.
