Indonesia’s President Confirms Election Results

President B. J. Habibie bypassed feuding electoral officials Tuesday and declared the long-delayed results of Indonesia’s June 7 ballot legitimate.

The Election Commission has been struggling for weeks to break an impasse over the official release of the tally of the country’s first free elections in 44 years, after a group of minor parties insisted that the ballot be designated as unfair.

“I declare the results of the June elections are legitimate,” a frustrated Habibie said. The government said he would issue a decree today certifying the tally.

Although the five major parties--which together account for more than 93% of the votes--signed off on the results, they could not be certified without the endorsement of minor parties, which face the prospect of political demise in the aftermath of their electoral defeat.

The official results confirm previous tallies that gave opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle a clear lead with 34% of the votes. The ruling Golkar party, which underpinned decades of authoritarian rule by former President Suharto, came in second with 22%.

A top official of Megawati’s party, General Secretary Alex Litay, voiced full support for Habibie’s move.