Second election round likely in Indonesia

Indonesia: Early results from Indonesia's first direct presidential elections suggested that Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the…

Indonesia: Early results from Indonesia's first direct presidential elections suggested that Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the former security minister and strong frontrunner in the opinion polls, had failed to surmount the 50 per cent barrier needed for an outright victory in the first round.

With 7.4 million votes (or 5.7 per cent of the expected total) counted late last night, Mr Yudhoyono had a 33 per cent share.

This means he will probably confront Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, the incumbent president, in a second round of voting on September 20th. Her support was last night running at 26.8 per cent.

The prospect of 10 more weeks of campaigning before the head-to-head poll between the two leading candidates will only add to the uncertainty of a prolonged election season in what is the world's most populous Muslim country. It would also, as Mr Yudhoyono told reporters, raise the possibility that Indonesia's "political temperature will become hot" in coming months.

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Mr Yudhoyono, a 54-year-old former general who first rose to prominence during the 32-year rule of ousted dictator Mr Suharto, has appealed to voters with vows of hard work and the kind of stone-faced demeanour that appeals to Indonesia's dominant Javanese, who make up 95 million of its 155 million registered voters.

His campaign manager, Mr Rachmat Witoelar, conceded last night that "we will have a run-off", but added that he expected support for Mr Yudhoyono to grow as votes from regions where his support is strong are counted. A final result from the first round is due by July 26th.

The early results indicated that Mr Wiranto, the former general running for Mr Suharto's Golkar party, was coming a strong third on 23.2 per cent. Trailing were Mr Amien Rais, the parliamentary speaker, on 13.6 per cent, and Mr Hamzah Haz, vice president, on 3.5 per cent.

The counting was slowed by confusion caused by a flaw in the way ballots were folded. This led to many being declared invalid during initial counting, although the Indonesian Electoral Commission ordered a recount.

Mr Glyn Ford, a British member of the European Parliament leading a European Union observer mission, said that he had seen "nothing that would undermine the overall integrity of the result".

Mr Yudhoyono has pledged a fiscal stimulus for an economy in need of fresh investment and said he will fight both Islamic extremism and rampant corruption.

That message was what gave hope to mother-of-four Suhardini (39), who voted for Mr Yudhoyono because he was likely to bring change. "For the sake of this nation we need someone better than Megawati," she said, holding her youngest girl in her arms in a Jakarta slum. "I really am hoping for a better future for my daughter." - (Financial Times)