Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Party, founded by former guerilla fighters from the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, is the only one of six local political parties in the province to clear the 5 percent electoral threshold guaranteeing their future, a political analyst from a local university said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has set up a team to investigate why so many people were left off the fixed voter lists for the April 9 legislative elections.

Dicky Christianto and Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The so-called Teuku Umar Block, led by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is considering not contesting the upcoming presidential elections, not out of fear of being defeated, but because of what they call the systematic and massive manipulation of the recent legislative elections.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Golkar party has given mandate to chairman Jusuf Kalla to build coalition with other political parties promoting him as presidential candidate in upcoming election.

Suherdjoko and Slamet Susanto, Semarang, Yogya – More than 30 female journalists in Semarang, with the support of Central Java Deputy Governor Rustriningsih, declared Tuesday their opposition to polygamous and unregistered marriages.

Jakarta – Women legislative candidates added life to the Kartini Day celebrations in West Kalimantan on Tuesday with a possible unprecedented clean sweep of Regional Representative Council (DPD) seats.

Alfian, Jakarta – The government is soon to issue a presidential regulation allowing mining companies to mine underground in protected forest areas, despite a recent report by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) highlighting poor management of mining operations by some mining companies.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The pace of Indonesia's economic growth will likely pick up in the last quarter of the year on strengthening consumption while predicted signs of global economic recovery start bolstering export demand, according to economists.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says his Democratic Party and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's Golkar Party have so far agreed on maintaining coalition in the government and legislative level.

Jakarta – Personal problems, laziness and the obligation to help their party achieve its goals have burdened legislators, raising doubts as to whether they can ratify dozens of crucial bills by September.

Janeman Latul & Anita Rachman – Newly installed business representatives in the National Tripartite Agency for Industrial Relations said on Tuesday that during the ongoing two-day meeting of the body they would ask that the current worker relations law be revised, arguing that it was detrimental to local businesses.

Jakarta/Bandung/Yogyakarta – The electronic but slow vote counting finally came to an end after almost two weeks on Monday, as the General Elections Commission (KPU) races against time to complete the counting of paper ballots from the April 9 legislative elections.

Purwokerto, Central Java – The prolonged economic crisis has brought about an increase in the number of divorces, Muhammad Farid, an official at Purwokerto's religious court said Monday.

"In 2009, the court recorded a 70 percent increase (on average) in the number of divorce cases every month," Farid told The Jakarta Post.

Nurfika Osman – The National Commission on Violence Against Women, or Komnas Perempuan, commemorated Kartini Day on Tuesday by presenting awards to three women who have struggled to overcome the pain of past human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by the government and the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Titania Veda – Despite the institute of marriage being the norm in Indonesian society, an increasing number of households are headed by women, both in urban and rural settings.

Although divorcees, single mothers and widows face social stigma and discrimination, many women support their families independently, by choice or circumstance.

Jakarta – With President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party set to form a coalition with the Golkar Party and most of the middle-rank parties, the next executive branch of government will dominate the new House of Representatives, political experts have said.

Adianto P. Simamora and Slamet Susanto, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – With coalition talks between parties intensifying ahead of the presidential election, strife is brewing within the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP) over whether to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election bid.

Jakarta – The founders of the Democratic Party, together with partisans, have formed a campaign team called "Indonesia Bisa" or "Indonesia Can", to support Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's bid for reelection as president.

"Indonesia Can" was declared an organization at the Bima Room of the Bidakara Complex in Jakarta on Saturday, Antara news agency reported.

Roswita Nimpuno Khaiyath – Today is Hari Kartini, or Kartini Day, a national holiday proclaimed by the late President Sukarno in 1964 in recognition of Raden Ajeng Kartini for establishing the first school for Javanese girls and for becoming an important symbol of Indonesian identity.

Jakarta – The Aceh Party, a local party representing former Aceh rebels, is projected to win control of the parliament in Indonesia's northernmost province Aceh, a local poll monitor said Monday

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – If the July presidential election were held today, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would garner a whopping 87.5 percent of the votes, according to a poll by the Strategic Center for Development and Policy Review, or Puskaptis.

Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – The Indonesian capital market has retained its position as the third most optimistic market in the Asia-Pacific region in the first quarter of this year.

Christian Motte – Police in Papua Province have arrested seven people in connection with the attack on the Abepura Police station in the provincial capital of Jayapura on the eve of the April 9 legislative elections.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Sunday it was almost certain he would face former president Megawati Soekarnoputri in the presidential election once again, but with different vice presidential candidates.

Pandaya – Turning up at the polling station on last week's election day was like a great family outing for many people, especially those taking the once-every-five-year political event (pesta demokrasi) lightly.

Jakarta Post, Jakarta – The Indonesian financial intelligence unit reported a sharp increase in suspicious transactions in the country's financial institutions during the election campaign, raising concerns on the legality of some political campaign fund sources.

Jakarta – A move to keep the duo of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla has gained further ground as Golkar Party leaders agreed Friday to let its provincial chapter heads select the running mate for Yudhoyono in the July election.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is said to have failed to push for transparency in the financial affairs of regional administrations, although it has arrested many governors, regents and regional councilors since its inception six years ago.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Bowing to pressure from anticorruption groups, the Supreme Court has revoked its earlier decision to appoint 12 new judges to the Corruption Court.

"I've ordered the withdrawal of all the letters of appointment," Supreme Court Chief Harifin A. Tumpa told reporters on Friday, after installing six new deputy heads to the Supreme Court.

Jambi – An outbreak of leprosy has reached an endemic stage in Tanjungjabung regency, with one person in six per 10,000 suffering from the disease, which causes legions to form on the skin and remains highly stigmatized.

Jakarta – Although they might not be about "grand narratives" or "bombastic issues", women do have stories to tell. Such as simple stories of being a woman in an ever patriarchal world, as an upcoming international women's film festival in Jakarta will reveal.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – The National Police is intensifying the search for those responsible for a string of violent events that rocked Papua around election day.

The police has named five suspects who were allegedly involved in the arson attack on the rector's building at the Cenderawasih University last Thursday, one of them identified by his initials as SW.

Sydney – The Australia West Papua Association, Sydney, has asked Australia's Foreign minister Stephen Smith to raise what it says is the continuing deteriorating situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Idi Rayeuk, Indonesia – The only solace for the almost 200 men living in a squalid refugee camp here is the freedom they now have to pray.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Former separatist combatants have managed to transform the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) into a major local political force after last week's legislative elections.

Early official results of election vote counts show that the Aceh Party (PA), established by former rebels, secured a majority of votes in the country's westernmost province.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Angel Flassy, Jayapura – Churches and civil society groups asked security authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the series of attacks and burning of vital assets, apparently aimed at creating political chaos during the legislative and presidential elections.

The Union of Papuan Baptist Churches has added its voice to claims that the Indonesian military is engineering attacks in the province and blaming them on Papuan separatists.

It is a rude awakening in politics: Those who voted in the April 9 legislative elections may now find their favorite parties seeking alliances with partners who are not to their liking.

Bahtiar Effendy, Jakarta – If and when the results of the general elections are officially announced, it will only solidify the fact that Islam is no longer an important factor in Indonesian (partisan) politics. In fact, this is no novel assessment.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Indonesia will launch the "I Love Indonesia" logo, a move to encourage Indonesians to love and appreciate locally made goods and services, Minister of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu said Thursday.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – The global economic downturn has affected more than 1,200 workers in the large-scale and home-based leather industry since late 2008.

Camelia Pasandaran – The National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM, has confirmed that it is investigating allegations that the General Elections Commission, or KPU, violated the rights of up to 20 million citizens by depriving them of a chance to vote in last week's legislative elections.

Jakarta – Civil society groups began filing lawsuits Thursday against the government and the General Elections Commission (KPU) over elections shortcomings.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Indonesian voters have made a firm decision on the fate of 29 national political parties that participated in last week's elections: None of them will play actively on the country's main political stage – the House of Representatives, that is – for at least the next five years.

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Though the law stipulates that possessing an endangered animal is a serious criminal offense, it is accepted that simply returning the animal means escaping conviction, an activist said on Friday.

Luh De Suryani and Niken Prathivi, Denpasar – The Bali Women's Political Movement coalition will file a report on alleged election fraud targeting female candidates to the Bali Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) on Friday.

Novan Iman Santosa, Jakarta – The government should declare void a German government loan to procure 39 used warships, as it constitutes an odious debt, a workshop held at the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid) concluded Wednesday.

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – A number of homes still remain unfinished, but at 10 a.m. on Thursday, the nameplate of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, or BRR, was taken down from its office in Lueng Bata, as scheduled.

Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – The Bali Investment Board has recorded a 99 percent drop in investment plans on the island in the first quarter this year.

In the first quarter of 2008, investment plans were valued at Rp 6.3 trillion, while in the same period this year the value of investment plans fell to Rp 53.5 billion or US$4.73 million.

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Indonesia's top court cleared Time magazine of defaming ex-dictator Suharto by alleging in a cover story that his family amassed a fortune during his rule. It said Thursday the publication did not have to pay $106 million in damages.

The ruling, which marks the end of the appeals process, was hailed as a victory for press freedom.