Suharto’s Party Nominates Former General for President

The party of former dictator Suharto nominated a former general Wednesday as its presidential candidate in Indonesia’s July elections, despite his indictments by U.N. prosecutors in connection with human rights abuses in East Timor.

The Golkar party’s decision to pick Wiranto, who uses only one name, dealt a blow to the political hopes of parliament Speaker Akbar Tanjung, whose second-place finish probably will end his career.

Wiranto, who rose through army ranks to become the head of the military under Suharto, was seen as a force for change in the party and has tapped into some voters’ desire for a return to the era of the strongman, when the economy prospered and the country was secure.

But his candidacy is expected to suffer because of the United Nations indictments. They allege that as military chief, Wiranto did not stop Indonesian troops and proxy militias from killing nearly 1,500 people during a U.N.-sponsored independence referendum in 1999.

Wiranto has denied the charges and called them part of a smear campaign to sidetrack his candidacy. He told cheering supporters that he was ready for the challenges ahead.

“This is a victory for the Golkar party and a victory for all of us,” he said after the party vote.

Polls show him trailing far behind front-runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, despite Golkar’s leading the ballot count after the April 5 legislative election.