Well guys, some interesting news from indoneisa…Mrs. megawati is losing the elections and an ex- army General is going to win it…how abt President Musharaff learns a lesson from this example…
Yudhoyono heads for Indonesia win
Indonesians seem to have voted for change
Former army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is on course to unseat Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia’s first direct presidential election.
With 37m of the more than 150m votes counted, Mr Yudhoyono had 59.7% of the vote compared to Mrs Megawati’s 40.2%.
At a brief late-night news conference, Mr Yudhoyono said he was pleased with the results so far.
More results are set to trickle in over the coming days, but the winner will not officially be known until October.
“We are very happy to learn that the quick counts… show that I can reap a promising result,” Mr Yudhoyono said.
After insisting he was not making a victory speech, he paid tribute to Mrs Megawati for ensuring peaceful and fair elections.
“I also ask all political elite to continue our reform to develop the democracy that is now fostering in Indonesia,” he added.
A projection poll conducted by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute suggested Mr Yudhoyono could end up even further ahead, winning 62% of the votes compared to Mrs Megawati’s 38%.
Mood for change
Mr Yudhoyono, also known by his initials SBY, won the first round of voting in July and has led opinion polls ever since.
INDONESIA’S HISTORIC POLL
Mr Yudhoyono won first round
150 million registered voters on 14,000 islands
Previous leaders chosen by the legislature
Winner must tackle regional conflicts and terrorist threat
In pictures: Voting day
Latest results (official election website)
The BBC’s Rachel Harvey in Jakarta says most Indonesians seem to be in the mood for a change, especially since President Megawati has increasingly been seen as reticent and ineffective.
One voter, Siti Komariah, told the Associated Press: “I voted for SBY because I think he is smart and good looking. I want the country to be safer, I want prices to be lower.”
Security fears have increased in the wake of a bomb attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta on 9 September which killed nine people, but voting appears to have passed off peacefully across the vast country.
Little difference
Whoever wins, Indonesia’s next president will for the first time have a direct public mandate.
For that reason if for no other, this election marks a significant moment in Indonesia’s transition to full democracy, our correspondent says.
The election was a huge logistical challenge
There appears to be little difference between the two candidates in terms of policy.
Both have promised to boost Indonesia’s under-performing economy and root out endemic corruption.
They also agree on taking a tough line towards separatist movements in Aceh and Papua.
Both say they will also do all they can to hunt down the militant network which has carried out a series of major bomb attacks in the past two years - in a Bali nightspot, Jakarta’s Marriott Hotel and most recently at the Australian embassy.
This contest has been as much about personality as anything else, our correspondent says.
Ms Megawati, often seen as aloof by her critics, has been spending time meeting the public and giving media interviews in an effort to gain ground on her opponent.
Mr Yudhoyono, meanwhile, has promised “effective leadership”.
He has drawn strength from his image as a man of integrity, as well as a determined leader in times of crisis.
As security minister, he led the hunt for the perpetrators of the Bali and Jakarta hotel bombings.