Rallies, posters, commercials and smiling politicians have abounded over the past weeks and months. But what do the parties really stand for?

Rallies, posters, commercials and smiling politicians have abounded over the past weeks and months. But what do the parties really stand for?

Jakarta – A survey released on Thursday found that Indonesian sinetron (soap operas) were publicly regarded as having poor moral and aesthetic quality.

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – Some 50 or so students in the North Sumatra city of Medan demonstrated on April 2 against the general elections that will take place on April 9.

A group of student who call themselves South Sumatra Students' Committee for Concern of the nation staged a rally Thursday to oppose the presence of the founder of Great Indonesia Movem

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Exports have continued falling, by another third in February, signaling a further drop in forecast growth, says the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – Djoko Hariyanto, a food vendor working just outside the House of Representatives building in Jakarta seemed quite content on Tuesday afternoon.

Desy Nurhayati and Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Political parties have once again shown that allies and foes do not last forever if interest is at stake, as they continued discussions on

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – An annual performance report released Wednesday by the Supreme Court shows that it exonerated almost 70 of 205 corruption suspects and 36 of nearly 100 others

Jakarta – More than 150 million eligible voters desperately need more information on various facets of the electoral process to make sure that they will vote correctly during balloting

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – The Sidoarjo hot mudflow, now mixed with oil, poses a greater threat of environmental damage because it flows through residential areas and the Porong River

Rallies, posters, commercials and smiling politicians have abounded over the past weeks and months. But what do the parties really stand for?

Max Lane – The official election campaigning period for the Indonesian national, provincial and district legislatures started on March 1 and will last until April 5.

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – There is a rising risk that Indonesia's next elected government will face an immediate legitimacy crisis if mounting complaints about manipulation of of

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Five years ago, Indonesia's Prosperous Justice Party pulled off a stunning electoral coup, winning 7.2% of the national vote and topping all parties with 22% in

Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar – Female legislative candidates from various political parties have vowed to fill 10 percent of Bali provincial and regional legislative seats at the next elec

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Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Jakarta's secretive criminal gang structure, with links right up to national politics and next week's elections, has taken a serious blow with the sudden

Indonesia's export performance in February dropped by 36.86 percent in terms of value compared to the same period last year, the Central Statistics Agency reported on Wednesday.

Dion Bisara & Muhamad Al Azhari – The nation's exports continued to fall in February, off by nearly 33 percent year-on-year and 1.02 percent month-on-month to $7.08 billion, the Cen

Camelia Pasandaran – In a decision that could trigger mass protests ahead of next week's national polls, the General Elections Commission, or KPU, said on Tuesday that 32 political part

Jakarta – "I have promoted you as a legislative candidate here, but people will only vote for you if you have something to offer," a text message read on a candidate's cell phone.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Legislative candidates known to have practiced polygamy may suffer a setback in their quest for seats in legislatures, after voters said they would take the as

Environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday called on Indonesia to drop plans to tackle global climate change with credits for preserving forests, saying the measure could destroy carbo

Jakarta – In a show of confidence, some 100,000 Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) supporters thronged Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Monday in a rally billed as the largest held since th

Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – Voters have been granted the right to know who the winner of the upcoming legislative elections is within a few hours of the ballots closing, a court has ruled.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Indonesian leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to start publicly testing the water within days as to who his running mate should be for July presi

Katherine Demopoulos, Jakarta – Career soldier Prabowo Subianto is still a dark-horse candidate among the 38 different political parties jockeying for position ahead of next month's leg

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Strengthening his stance against corruption ahead of the upcoming elections, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has unveiled a plan to issue a government regulat

Denpasar – The ongoing global financial crisis may see some 20 percent of 4.41 million people working in the Indonesian tourism industry lose their jobs.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – The Indonesian Government ignored repeated warnings about a catastrophic flash flood at Situ Gintung and instead built a jogging track around its dam wall from fun

Palu – On March 30, activists from the Palu City branch of the Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM) in Central Sulawesi encouraged local residents to reject next month's legislativ

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Activists have urged the government to provide greater protection to millions of informal laborers, especially those working in home industries, because o

Jakarta – Any potential drought in Indonesia this year would most likely occur due to environmental damage rather than a prolonged or extreme dry season, the Meteorology, Climatology an

Agus Maryono, Cilacap – Lack of skills and a low level of education have been blamed for the poor quality of Indonesian migrant workers going abroad.

Alfian and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election bid has gained support from beyond his Democratic Party, but analysts say neither of the recent pol

Jakarta – State companies have failed to settle at least Rp 15 trillion (about US$1.3 billion) in matured overseas debts, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) says.

Robert, Samarinda – Scores for students from the Mulawarman University in East Kalimantan provincial city of Samarinda demonstrated on March 30 against the 2009 general elections.

Putri Prameshwari – At least six of the 193 dams located in the Greater Jakarta area are in similar condition to the now-collapsed Situ Gintung dam, the Indonesian Forum for the Environ

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The United Development Party, or PPP, has resorted to calling on the government to dissolve the controversial Islamic sect Ahmadiyah in an effort to appeal to

Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Nurdin Hasan – Dian, 19, a communications student at a private college in Jakarta, was enthusiastic when asked if she would vote in the April 9 elections.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The central bank has cut its forecast for Indonesia's economic growth this year, as the impacts of the global economic turmoil look likely to hit the country

Tom Allard, Indonesia – At least 50 Indonesians are believed to have perished and hundreds of homes destroyed after a dam broke south of Jakarta, sending huge volumes of water rushing t

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Dozens have been confirmed dead and many more are still missing after a reservoir wall collapsed in the Indonesian capital, creating a "tsunami" that wipe

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Indonesian feminists have called on the public not to vote for legislative candidates or political leaders known to be polygamous, saying they would have a s

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The ongoing election campaign period has seen political parties and candidates pledging to fight corruption, but they are really offering the public nothing m

Jakarta – The government has arrested more than 150 people for raising flags symbolizing regional independence over the past two years, according to a report from Amnesty International.

Tom Allard, Kupang, West Timor – Eurico Guterres – the militia leader found guilty and then acquitted of crimes against humanity during East Timor's violence-soaked birth as a nation –

Andra Wisnu and Ruslan Sangadji, Jakarta/Palu – Use of state facilities and the exploitation of children at campaign rallies remains rampant among major parties, the Election Supervisor

Khairul Saleh and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung, Jambi, Palembang – Election rallies have provided their attendees with various opportunities, for some a chance to voice their concerns dire