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Yudhoyono wins Indonesia election
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won Indonesia's presidential election run-off in a landslide, capping a rapid rise to power for the former general who has vowed to create jobs, stamp out graft and fight terrorism.
Election commission officials said the result from the Sept. 20 poll would be formally announced later on Monday. In brief remarks to reporters, Yudhoyono did not explicitly declare victory but spoke just after the preliminary numbers had shown the magnitude of his win. "If that is the result, I thank the people of Indonesia and will soon form the next government and formulate a 100-day program," Yudhoyono said near his home south of Jakarta. "The government will work seriously to achieve our goals." Yudhoyono asked the international community to work with the world's most populous Muslim nation. He did not elaborate, but Indonesia is on the frontline in the war on terrorism. The poll marked a major step forward in Indonesia's democratic transition following a violent and messy six years since the downfall of autocrat Suharto, a former general who ruled with an iron fist for 32 years. A spokesman said Yudhoyono would make an acceptance speech at 7.00 p.m. (1200 GMT) if the election commission had signed off by then. Jakarta stocks jumped two percent in the morning session on expectations Yudhoyono would name a strong cabinet. Yudhoyono, 55, will be sworn in on Oct. 20. He has said his cabinet will start working on that day. Unofficial counting in the days after the ballot showed Yudhoyono had easily won, but Megawati had said she would not concede defeat until the election commission announcement. One hitch now could be protests by Megawati's team to the Constitutional Court over concerns of possible irregularities in several provinces. "There is a possibility of fraud. We are consulting with our leaders to discuss whether we file this with the Constitutional Court," a spokesman, Arif Wibowo, said late on Sunday. Foreign and local election observers have said there were no major irregularities that should affect the overall result. Ramlan Surbakti, a senior election commission official, said any protest would not reduce the legitimacy of the vote. CABINET CONTRACTS
According to the results, Yudhoyono beat Megawati by around 25 million votes. More than 116 million people voted. Yudhoyono has said his cabinet would mostly comprise professionals, unlike previous governments that drew heavily from Indonesia's major political parties, hindering cohesion and sparking division. On Saturday, he said his ministers would sign accountability contracts, indicating poor performing ministers may not last. Yudhoyono has kept a low profile at his home in Bogor, south of Jakarta, since the election to avoid the spotlight. He has sought to reconcile with Megawati and her political party, one of parliament's largest. He quit her cabinet as security chief in March to run for president. Given virtually no chance of becoming president in opinion surveys until his resignation, Yudhoyono struck a chord with voters with his message of clean and firm leadership. One of Yudhoyono's toughest challenges could be working with Indonesia's new parliament, sworn in on Friday. It is full of parties who opposed his rise. Yudhoyono brings some intellectual heft to the job. On Saturday, he earned a doctorate from the prestigious Bogor Institute of Agriculture after defending a thesis on poverty and unemployment. He also has a master's in management. |
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