The media have danced to the tune of politicians' music in the past several weeks as we have been treated with news about presidential-pair candidates, as if the world stood still.

Usman Hamid and Matthew Easton, London, New York – For more than four years, no case has been more central to the security of human rights defenders in Indonesia than the 2004 poisoning

The killing of Nasruddin Zulkarnaen is unfolding like a soap opera.

The final official tally of the April 9 parliamentary elections was very much as widely predicted.

Anton H. Gunawan and Reza Y.

Upon observing coalition agreements made by the leaders of political parties, the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for July 8, will very likely be a three-horse race.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – A violent protest by soldiers of the Army's 751st Infantry Battalion in Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua province, on Wednesday was unusual in a military, whi

Armando Siahaan – On March 28, 2007, hundreds of protesters under the umbrella of Gerakan Anti-Komunis, or the Anti-Communist Movement, arrived at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences i

Jakarta Post – The steady rise of Indonesia's share price index and the rupiah immediately after the April 9 legislative election suddenly reversed into a decline last Thursday after th

Norimitsu Onishi, Jakarta – From Pakistan to Gaza and Lebanon, militant Islamic movements have gained ground rapidly in recent years, fanning Western fears of a consolidation of radical

Syahrul Hidayat, Spring Exeter, UK – In the recent election the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) failed to keep up its momentum gained from the 2004 election when it saw a 600 percent inc

High tempers were hard to miss on Wednesday as the Golkar Party made a clear move to cut ties after less than five years in its coalition with the Democrat Party.

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 Indon

Jusuf Wanandi, Jakarta – The people have spoken.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Results from Indonesia's legislative election last week have raised more questions than they answered.

We believe Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati's preliminary estimate that Indonesia's economy could have expanded by 4.6 percent in the first quarter was by no means dressed up to m

Jayandra Menon, Dili – Timor Leste is dropping the tagline 'the world's newest nation' in favour of 'the world's newest destination'.

Nurfika Osman – It's been a long time since 1955.

Hamish McDonald – During the 34 or so years of Soeharto's reign in Indonesia, outside analysts watched with diminishing expectations for signs of his grip weakening and rival power cent

Islamist groups expected to take back seat in vote

Rowan Callick – Following a raucous and colourful campaign season – with most candidates singing on stage – 240 million Indonesians will today start electing their next government by ch

Fabio Scarpello – After the fall of president Suharto in 1998, Indonesia's powerful military found itself sidelined by enthusiasm for the nation's nascent democracy.

Megawati Wijaya, Jakarta – After weeks of raucous rallies and colorful campaigns, an estimated 170 million Indonesians are eligible to cast their votes at Thursday's legislative polls.

Stephen Fitzpatrick – If it seems Indonesia's air safety record has improved since the Garuda crash two years ago that claimed 21 lives and has now seen pilot Marwoto Komar sentenced to

When Mirini was appointed No. 1 on the National Awakening Party's list of national legislative candidates in Aceh Province, she put it down to her local connections.

The threat to next week's voting day – Indonesia's 10th elections since independence – may not be so much the violence as the ignorance.

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

After four years of struggle to recover from the devastating tsunami and decades of bloody insurgent uprising, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam is seemingly taking a further step to unplug itse

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

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

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

A decade on, East Timor is still linked to Indonesia

Sarah J.

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

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

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – With its crumbling infrastructure, lack of a reliable mass transit system, and labyrinthine urban geography, Indonesia's capital of Jakarta was already

Jeffrey A.

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – Indonesia is in a heightened state of political confusion as national legislative and presidential elections approach.

Hera Diani – Neither heat, humidity nor even a national holiday can deter the Indonesian voter, it seems.

With great hope and fanfare, the reform era that began in 1998 and the democratic elections in 1999 were intended to usher in a new climate of accountable government after decades of au

Joe Cochrane – With his long, bushy hair and 1960s guitar rock ringtone on his Blackberry, it's not a stretch to say Alvin Lie has a little bit of jaman dulu, or the old days, in his so

Febriamy Hutapea – National legislatures come and go, but the outgoing House of Representatives will be long remembered for its handling of a series of bills and vital issues that criti

The Democratic Party (PD) wins the most votes in the April parliamentary election, and its candidate, the incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, running with Jusuf Kalla of the Golkar Part

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, Denpasar – So much to choose from, so little choice.

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant – In a poll of 1,936 eligible voters conducted by Roy Morgan Research across four weeks and completed at the end of January, the incumbent president had garn

Rizal Sukma, Jakarta – Reading the warnings by TNI Chief Gen. Djoko Santoso last week reminded me of the days of the New Order rule.

Angus Grigg – It was a performance to remember, an act of sheer front.

Beni Sukadis – More than 10 years have passed since Indonesia first sought to restructure the relationship among the Indonesian Armed Forces, or TNI, the Ministry of Defense and the cen

Aleksius Jemadu, Tangerang, Banten – Among the retired generals who have nominated themselves for the presidency, Lt. Gen.