Indonesian President Susilo BambangYudhoyono's party almost tripled its vote tally from 2004 in elections, strengthening his grip on power. The Democrat Party took 20.4 percent of the vote, based on partial returns from about 2,000 polling stations compiled by the Indonesian Survey Institute. Final results will be released May 9.
The party, the fifth largest in parliament, won 7.4 percent of the vote five years ago.The Democrat gains will help Yudhoyono's own re-election bid in July. The 59-year-old president may also have better luck attracting coalition partners, enabling him to enact measures to
revive economic growth that is forecast to expand at the slowest pace in eight years.
Golkar, the party of the Suharto, is set tolose its dominant position in parliament. It received 14 percent of votes, according to data from the institute broadcast on Metro TV, down from 21.6 percent in 2004. The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, or PDI-P, obtained
14.4 percent.
According to Indonesia's election rules, parties that dont win at least 2.5 percent of the national vote won't be eligible for parliament. The votes for such parties will be deemed invalid and hence may boost the percentages of the larger parties.
This is the third election since the fall of Suharto, who was forced from office in 1998 after ruling for three decades. Winning more than 20 percent of the 560 seats in the lower
house of parliament, or 25 percent of the national vote, would enable the Democrat Party to nominate Yudhoyono as its presidential candidate without seeking outside support.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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