Vaudine England, Jakarta – To the beat of drums and the sound of marching bands, opposition leader Amien Rais was yesterday acclaimed as his party's leader and presidential candidate by a cheering crowd of tens of thousands.

Mr Rais took the opportunity to insist on the need for free and fair elections, no matter who wins, and said the East Timorese people deserved a referendum on their future.

The rally, held in Senayan stadium in central Jakarta, was a well-organised series of performances designed to demonstrate the broad base of the Partai Amanat Indonesia (PAN) ahead of June's legislative polls.

Before Mr Rais made his appearance, a group of youths dramatically unfurled a banner large enough to cover the football pitch. The banner featured a picture of Mr Rais, a clenched fist, and the slogan tokoh reformasi (pro-reform).

A smartly dressed marching band was next, with the colour scheme expanded from blue to include red and white - the colours of the national flag.

Among the songs played were traditional tunes from Ambon, scene of recent communal clashes, then from Java, Bali and Menado. As the music played, a long line of decorated horses and carts rode past, in a direct appeal to the lower middle classes who use such transport in the countryside.

After the speeches, a Chinese lion dance emerged, garnering both curiosity and cheers – such displays were banned for more than 30 years. Mr Rais' speech covered several key issues of political life, starting with the recent outbreaks of violence in various parts of the country which, he said, had to stop.

He called on ABRI, the armed forces, to stop pretending that they did not know who was behind the violence. This referred to the general belief that the outbreaks are a result of a wide-ranging plan to destabilise the country, provoked by those close to former president Suharto, who lives under the protection of the armed forces in central Jakarta.

Mr Rais went on to tell his supporters he was dissatisfied with the final drafts of election laws, in which the military is given 38 voting seats in future parliaments. But he said nothing more could be done and it was still best to hold the election without delay.

He expressed the hope that the electoral manipulations of the Suharto regime would not be repeated. It did not matter who won, he said, as long as the poll was fair and honest.