Indonesians Vote in Precursor to Presidential Poll

Voters went to the polls across the nation Monday to elect a new parliament and to decide which parties can run candidates in July when Indonesia holds its first direct presidential election.

With less than 2% of the vote counted, the party of President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle, took a slim lead in a field of 24 parties.

Public opinion surveys conducted before the election indicated that the top vote-getter was likely to be Golkar, the former ruling party of ousted military dictator President Suharto.

The election in the world’s largest Islamic democracy was marred by irregularities, including a lack of ballots at some of the 600,000 polling stations and registration cards that were sent to children and dead voters. The country has 148 million registered voters in a population of 220 million, and turnout was expected to be about 90%. But the election was largely peaceful as voters waited patiently to fill out the complex and sometimes confusing ballot.

With the vote count proceeding slowly in many areas, it may be days before the winners are known. A party must receive 3% of the national vote to qualify for the presidential election.

Despite the Bali nightclub bombing that killed 202 people in 2002 and the Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing that killed 12 last year, terrorism was not a significant issue in the election.

With 40 million people unemployed, voters were far more concerned about economic development and widespread government corruption. In one opinion survey taken before the election, terrorism placed last among the issues of concern to voters.

Although 85% of the population is Muslim, only a handful of small parties ran on conservative platforms advocating Sharia, or Islamic law. The Justice and Prosperity Party, an Islamic party that campaigned against corruption in government, made a strong showing in early returns and was likely to win enough votes to qualify for the presidential election.

Monday’s vote was the second national election held since Suharto was forced from power six years ago. Despite allegations that he stole vast sums from the state treasury, his attorneys have successfully argued that because he is ill, he should not be prosecuted.

Suharto, smiling and waving to bystanders, cast his ballot near his home in Jakarta. The 82-year-old former president appeared healthy but said nothing. His daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, has formed her own party, the Duty and Concern for the Nation Party, and plans to run for president if her party qualifies.

The Golkar party was expected to win support among voters who favor a strong leader and would like to return to the stability of the Suharto era. The party ran on an anti-corruption platform despite the conviction of its leader, Parliament Speaker Akbar Tanjung, on corruption charges. The Supreme Court overturned his guilty verdict.

In Jakarta, the new Democratic Party of former Security Minister Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono was making a strong showing.

Yudhoyono, a former general who quit his Cabinet post in a recent spat with Megawati, has support from much of the intellectual elite and could become a formidable candidate in the presidential race.

In the capital, early returns showed Yudhoyono’s party leading both the Justice and Prosperity Party and Megawati’s party.