In his book, Suharto: A Political Biography, Robert Elson theorized of the possibility of Sudharmono's Vice Presidency being the final step before the Indonesian Presidency itself and that Suharto only continued because of the reaction to Sudharmono's nomination There are two reasons for this:
1: As State Secretary, Sudharmono's duty was to assist the President in the day-to-day administration of the Government.
Having held this position for 15 years prior to being elected Vice President, Sudharmono was sure to have been familiar with the inner workings of the Suharto regime.

2: ABRI would not have gone to extreme lengths to show their displeasure at Sudharmono being elected Vice President if they did not expect a long-term effect.
In his book, Suharto: A Political Biography, Robert Elson theorized of the possibility of Sudharmono's Vice Presidency being the final step before the Indonesian Presidency itself and that Suharto only continued because of the reaction to Sudharmono's nomination There are two reasons for this:
1: As State Secretary, Sudharmono's duty was to assist the President in the day-to-day administration of the Government. Having held this position for 15 years prior to being elected Vice President, Sudharmono was sure to have been familiar with the inner workings of the Suharto regime.
2: ABRI would not have gone to extreme lengths to show their displeasure at Sudharmono being elected Vice President if they did not expect a long-term effect.
Sudharmono