Indonesia heads to polls for new leader

Agence France-Presse

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The liberal ex-general is hoping to avoid a run-off in September by beating opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri and outgoing Vice-President Jusuf Kalla with a clear majority in the first round.

Most opinion polls indicate he has enough support to avoid a run-off, although some have pointed to a much closer race with Yudhoyono facing either Megawati or Kalla in a second-round decider.

Hundreds of thousands of police have been deployed across the vast, mainly Muslim archipelago to safeguard polling stations, especially in Papua where ethnic tensions are high and violence marred legislative polls in April. Last-minute disputes over inaccurate voter lists were settled after Megawati - an ex-president and daughter of independence hero Sukarno - obliquely suggested Yudhoyono's supporters were trying to rig the vote. In a dramatic ruling late Monday, the Constitutional Court changed voter registration rules to allow Indonesians left off the rolls to cast their ballots with identity cards.

"Let's make the election a success. Don't let the world see improper things happening in Indonesia," Yudhoyono said in response to the ruling.

Creating a better future

Megawati called on Indonesians to vote with a "clear and honest mind." "We are convinced that we can create a better future," she said.

Yudhoyono's popularity is based on five years of steady economic growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, slow but even-handed reform of the bureaucracy and a tough anti-corruption drive.

Despite his popularity, Yudhoyono has been criticized for caving in to Islamist extremists over tolerance issues such as a controversial anti-pornography law and restrictions on the minority Ahmadiyah sect.

Megawati and Kalla have both touted a brand of economic nationalism in response to what they have called President Yudhoyono's "neo-liberal policies," vowing to protect jobs from foreign competition and investment.