Dili – East Timor's governing Fretilin party has lost electoral support but retains majority backing after nearly 18 months in power, according to the country's first political poll, so

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – In a show of distrust of their current House of Representatives legislators, a large group of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) r

Amy Chew, Semarang – Jakarta's Chinatown was ablaze and the city's shopping centres were being looted by mobs. On the streets students were baying for President Suharto's blood.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Next year's general elections will result in the same unqualified, corrupt leaders heading the nation, political analyst Arbi Sanit said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Masked attackers threw petrol bombs at homes in Bali on Monday in revenge for a deadly weekend clash between supporters of rival political parties, police and a party official

Jayapura – Hundreds of Papuans, including students, launched a peaceful rally at the provincial legislative building on Friday to reject the establishment of West Irian Jaya province.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Golkar's presidential candidates presented their electoral platforms before some 500 party members from across the country on Tuesday, but analysts said their

Moch. N.

Jakarta - Prospective presidential candidates who are involved in cases of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), as well as those who have been involved in violations of human right

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Golkar's convention deputy secretary Rully Chairul Azwar admitted on Monday that the decision to delay the selection of Golkar's sole candidate from February t

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Golkar kicked off a preliminary convention last night to pick seven candidates to contest the party's presidential ticket next year.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A group of frustrated Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) executives in the East Java town of Sidoarjo have switched their allegiance to t

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Golkar has decided to delay selecting a presidential candidate until after the legislative election in April 2004 instead of its targeted date of February 2004.

Jakarta – It is doubtful that the 2004 general elections will produce a new leadership which can break the vicious circle of continuing economic, social and political crisis.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Tiarma Siboro, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Family members of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel have been told to back presidential candidates who accommodate th

Kurniawan Hari and Ainur R.

Moch. N.

Kurniawan Hari and Suherdjoko, Jakarta/Semarang – The Golkar convention series to select its presidential candidate remains far from complete and nothing is sure except for the fact tha

Kurniawan Hari and Moch. N.

Moch. N.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Major political parties contesting the 2004 general election have failed to woo support from poor people living in urban areas, according to a recent poll.

Damar Harsanto and Moch. N.

Jakarta – The assessment by number of groups is that the 2004 general elections represent a critical period, where it is hoped that a political transition towards democracy will occur.

The Justice and Human Rights Ministry's team tasked to ascertain whether political parties are eligible to contest next April's general election has been accused of taking bribes.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Evi Mariani, Jakarta – As the administration continues to evict squatters from land owned by the city and private companies, political parties have begun to

To celebrate its 58th anniversary, which falls on October 5, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has picked "Make the general election a success" as the commemoration's theme.

Tiarma Siboro and Indra Harsaputra, Jakarta/Surabaya – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid is facing an uphill challenge in his bid to regain power, even within his National Aw

Blontank Poer, Jakarta – Some people may have taken Shakespeare's "What's in a name?" to heart and decided they needed more weight to their names, yearning for the prestige of a royal t

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Golkar Party would take advantage of widespread disappointment with the so-called reform parties to woo support from the public, particularly from

Moch. N.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Two conflicting camps at the municipal branch of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, filed lawsu

Sutarto urged politicians on Friday not to invite the military back into politics and suggested that the institution stay neutral in the 2004 general elections.

Robert Go, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's complaint this week that the job of running Indonesia gives her headaches has made political rivals, as well as a member of her ow

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – A number of organizations criticized on Tuesday the General Elections Commission (KPU) for its failure to consult the public in many of its roles.

Jakarta – Revoking the status of a military emergency in Aceh is a prerequisite for holding general elections in Aceh. If not, it will be difficult to hope for quality elections.

Faced with the serious threats posed by other political parties in the 2004 general elections, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has closed ranks in a move to consolid

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Despite high public distrust toward political parties, abstention will not be that significant in the 2004 general elections, political analysts say.

Max Lane, Jakarta – On August 28, the Party of United Peoples Opposition (POPOR) submitted the necessary documentation to the Indonesian authorities to be registered as a legal politica

Jakarta – It is hoped that society will be on its guard against the possibility that Regional Representative Assemblies (DPD) will not become an platform for "old" politicians to make a

Sari P. Setiogi and M.

M.

Bengkuliu, Bengkulu – Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) Aburizal Bakrie reminded everyone that Bank Indonesia was the country's monetary authority.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The 2004 general elections should not be used as an excuse by the government to maintain the presence of thousands of troops in the war-torn Aceh province, says

Jakarta – Indonesian armed forces (TNI) chief General Endriartono Sutarto has stated that the TNI is considering extending the integrated operation in Aceh until the 2004 general electi

A'an Suryana and Mochammad N.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Behind every man is a powerful woman, or so runs an old cliche. In the corridors of Indonesia's presidential palace, the roles have been reversed.

Dili – East Timor's leaders met Monday to discuss "urgent" measures to control the activities of a militant nationalist group that has been accused of fomenting instability in the new n

Former Armed Forces Commander Wiranto has re-stated his determination to run for the presidency.

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Maryadi, Jakarta – The Committee to Guard against the New Order (Komite Waspada Orde Baru, KWOB) has put forward 10 conditions for presidential candidates for the period 2004-2009.