JAKARTA ~ Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri says she is looking for a “cool boyfriend” as her running mate in her comeback bid for the presidency next year, local media reproted.

“As a presidential candidate, I’ve been asked who I’m going to team up with. I say it’s hard to look for the most appropriate candidate,” Sukarnoputri reportedly told supporters.

“I’m a woman so I want a cool boyfriend. So I’ll wait first and look for the appropriate person. If the guy is ugly, I don’t want him,” she joked.

Megawati was president from 2001 to 2004 when she lost to ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the country’s first direct presidential vote.

Yudhoyono used his honeyed singing voice and penchant for penning lilting love songs to win support from housewives during the 2004 poll.

He released an album of love songs last year titled My Longing for You and while he is yet to formally announce his candidacy he is seen as a favorite for the presidential election in June next year.

Megawati, the daughter of founding president Sukarno, has yet to decide on a running mate to take on an already crowded field.