Thousands of Indonesians Throng Rallies

More than 100,000 people paraded through this capital Wednesday, snarling traffic with political rallies in the final days of Indonesia’s unexpectedly peaceful election campaign.

Waves of supporters from different parties danced through a downtown fountain, loudly prayed in Arabic and listened to a singer’s performance through a makeshift sound system as the two-week campaign entered the homestretch before Monday’s national vote.

The balloting is expected to be the freest in decades. President Suharto, who ruled the country for 32 years, left office last year after violent pro-democracy protests.

Campaigning will go on for two more days, followed by a two-day cooling-off period before the vote for 48 political parties. Hundreds of foreign electoral monitors will be there as observers, including a group of 100 led by former President Jimmy Carter.

The rallies Wednesday took on the feel of a peaceful street carnival, complete with food vendors. Troops and police looked on.

Traffic ground to a halt in the center of Jakarta as masses of people, some wearing the Justice Party’s white Islamic headdresses and others the Star and Moon party’s green T-shirts, took part in the daily convoys down the main boulevard, closing off all but one of the eight lanes through the heart of the city.

Dozens of people jumped into a fountain surrounding a statue in a major traffic circle. Others prayed loudly in Arabic to the beat of a drummer. Several climbed the 125-foot statue to hang their parties’ flags. One man fell and was pulled unconscious from the shallow water.

After the crowd dispersed, Republic Party supporters in orange and National Mandate Party backers in blue took its place.

The congestion cleared after dark before the Indonesian People’s Party, one of 10 parties authorized to have rallies today, began its last campaign appearance at 11 p.m.

Supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle added to the growing crowd after midnight, waving their signature bright red flags of a black bull’s head.

Buses parked in a circle around the fountain as workers set up portable lights and a sound system that a singer used to keep hundreds of people entertained. The crowd dispersed at 1 a.m.

In a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Information Minister Yunus Yosfiah said the government plans to go ahead with voting in Aceh province despite attacks by separatist rebels that now are being classified as a rebellion.

He quoted military commander Gen. Wiranto as telling a Cabinet meeting that 59 people, including 45 civilians, have been killed in the past month by the rebels. Another 96 civilians and 15 security force members were injured.

The parliament that will be elected Monday will choose a president in November. Megawati, 52, the daughter of Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno, is considered the front-runner.