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| Sunday, 11 April 2004 |
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Indonesian president Megawati's party maintains slim lead in vote count JAKARTA, Saturday (AFP) Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's party Saturday maintained a slim lead over Golkar, the old party of former dictator Suharto, with nearly half the votes tallied from the April 5 general election. But with millions of votes still uncounted, the race is still wide open, with Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) appearing to have suffered a big drop in support. PDI-P has won 20.6 percent of 65 million votes tallied so far, according to the website of the country's electoral commission, compared with the 34 percent it won in total in 1999. Golkar was on 20.1 percent. More than 147 million people were eligible to cast their votes in Monday's elections, only the second free vote since the 1950s. No turnout figure has been released but some estimates put it around 80 percent. Golkar predicted it would win the poll as more votes are counted from its heartland outside Java island. The party won 22 percent in the 1999 elections when it suffered from backing the 32-year rule of Suharto, who stepped down under pressure in May 1998. Analysts said voters turned against Megawati's party - once the symbol of opposition to Suharto - because she squandered its chances to introduce real reform. Votes have turned instead to two upstarts, the Democrat Party of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who resigned as Megawati's security minister in March, and the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Political commentator Dewi Fortuna Anwar said Megawati's declining popularity was partly due to her failure to personally communicate sensitive policies to the public. "The decline in Megawati's popularity has a positive correlation with the increase in Yudhoyono's popularity," Anwar told AFP. "Megawati is too aloof. In major issues like Aceh and terrorism, it was the security minister (Yudhoyono) who appeared boldly before the public, just like Bush," said Anwar, a presidential advisor in the B.J Habibie administration.. The Democrats were in fifth place Saturday with 7.4 percent, followed by PKS on 6.9 percent. The National Awakening Party (PKB) of former president Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Hamzah Haz's United Development Party were in third and fourth place with 13.2 percent and 8.3 percent respectively. Indonesia holds its first ever direct presidential elections on July 5 and Megawati's re-election bid could be in trouble because of her party's poor showing. |
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