Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province urged Acehnese on Wednesday to vote in next month's elections and said they would not try to disrupt the polls.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – If there is money, the parties are popular. If they only have T-shirts they are ignored.

Jakarta – Two family members of former dictator Suharto have launched separate campaigns for the coming Indonesian elections.

A pro-independence group in Indonesia's Aceh province has accused police and troops of intimidation and violence in the run-up to the general election on April 5.

Jakarta – Although the 22-day election campaign period just commenced on Thursday, minor political parties scheduled for Friday's first round of campaigns across the country had already

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – In a land where the school system is rotting and health care is worse, where millions drink from dying rivers while the rich pay cash for Mercedes, it seems onl

Robert Go, Jakarta – With just 23 days to go, Indonesia faces critical hurdles that could impede a smooth parliamentary election next month, officials and observers said.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Fabiola Desy Unandjaja, Gianyar/Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri and her presidential challengers strived to make the most of their "comparative advantages" in

Former Indonesian security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who quit after a row with Presidenti Megawati Surkanoputri, has confirmed that he will stand in July's presidential electio

Derwin Pereiradevi Asmarani – Indonesian security czar Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono quit his Cabinet post yesterday after falling out with the President.

Robert Go, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri will not sack her top Security Minister despite an increasingly public rift between the two, a senior official yesterday.

Banda Aceh – Military authorities in Aceh on Thursday banned foreign observers from monitoring next month's general elections in 453 so-called "black areas" in the war-torn province due

Shinta Shinaga, Jakarta – Although indistinct and only in the background, [former President] Suharto is appearing in a television advertisement by the National Functional Party of Conce

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Thursday he has resigned following a rift with President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Jakarta – As the General Elections Commission (KPU) disclosed on Wednesday that only 20 percent of the 660 million ballot papers needed for the elections had been produced, on the same

Jakarta – Public support for incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri has dropped significantly during the past few months while those who backed Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono increased, a

Hasrul, Kendari – The Kendari General Elections Commission (KPUD) has barred four political parties from campaigning on the grounds that they failed to register the names of their campa

Robert Go, Jakarta – The 24 political parties that will contest the Indonesian election on April 5 pledged yesterday to keep tight control of their followers and to conduct peaceful cam

Max Lane – Of the 19 parties contesting the July Indonesian presidential elections that are not currently represented in the parliament, eight are regarded as critical of the major part

Jakarta – Indonesia's Security Minister said yesterday that he wanted President Megawati Sukarnoputri to clarify his duties, following media reports that she had frozen him out of Cabin

Cirebon/Surabaya – A plenary meeting of influential Muslim clerics (kyai khos) of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has mandated Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to run for president as a candidate o

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua governor JP Solossa has expressed his fear of a possible delay of several days in the legislative elections scheduled for April 5 for technical, geo

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Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – When the nation held its first ever election in 1955, the atmosphere was euphoric.

Activists displaying the freshly severed heads of two dogs outside the Jakarta offices of Indonesia's Election Commission (KPU) yesterday in a gruesome protest against the commission's

Teuku Agam Muzakir, Lhokseumawe – The martial law administration in Aceh will deploy all of its forces to ensure the upcoming general election will be a success in the province, a milit

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has stressed the importance of enhancing security in Aceh during the election campaign beginning on March 11, a decisive f

Jakarta, Kompas – General elections in Aceh will be held under a state of martial law and hundreds of foreign observers will monitor the elections in Aceh.

Campaigning starts this week for Indonesia's general election, with a resurgent Golkar party that backed former dictator Suharto hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with President Me

Zainal Bakri, Lhokseumawe – The National Elections Commission (KPU) in Aceh has stated that as of Saturday afternoon, March 6, no foreign election observers – either organisations or in

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Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Electoral Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said misuse of state facilities by government officials for party interests might be widespread ahead of the gene

Jakarta – Indonesia's intelligence chief Hendropriyono has sparked off a controversy by allowing himself to be listed as a national campaigner for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The People's Representative Assembly (DPR) has asked the Aceh emergency military command (PDMD) to restrict the movement of foreign election observers in Aceh.

Jakarta – Although optimistic, the chief of the Indonesian armed forces (TNI), General Endriartono Sutarto, has said that there is no guarantee that the 2004 general elections will proc

Jakarta – The husband of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday accused the security minister of behaving like a child for complaining about being shut out of Cabinet meet

Kurniawan Hari and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Ansor, a youth group of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, has announced that it will not support the

Rais Hidayat, Jakarta – Several youth organizations were closely tied with the ruling Golkar party under New Order regime.

Lee Kim Chew – Indonesia's biggest political parties expect to hang on to the votes they won in the 1999 polls, but two emerging Islamic parties are confident of making gains in April's

Jakarta – As the election draws close, political parties are now openly touting their possible presidential and vice presidential candidates in the hope of drumming up enough support to