Warren Fernandez, Jakarta – Brace yourselves – the next 18 months are going to be tense and turbulent as Indonesia heads down a bumpy road to the 2004 polls.

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Each faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) agreed to adopt an "open-list" election system for the 2004 elections, paving the

Imanuddin, Jakarta – The general elections is still a year ahead, but prospective candidates for the next presidency, who have their roots in the top ten political parties, have either

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – One of Indonesia's most senior politicians, Parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tandjung, yesterday declared that three of the largest political parties in the country

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri fired the opening salvo in her campaign for next year's election by challenging her rivals to 'fight' her at the ballot box.

[The following is a by Jeffrey Winters, Northwestern University, via Joyo Indonesia News Service.]

I would like to offer the following observations:

Jakarta – In another show of deep cracks within the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), five functionaries in Lampung have been dismissed from their posts for defying direc

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – With a glut of new parties set up ahead of next year's general election, disputes are breaking out over the right to use some of the most popular Indonesian sig

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – East Timor's President, Xanana Gusmao, has appealed to his people to reject violence in 2003 – but has also renewed criticism of the Fretilin-led government.

Jakarta – Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said yesterday that he was ready to run for the top seat in the next election if asked to by Muslim clerics.

East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao has taken another swipe at the new country's politicians in a Christmas message to his people.

Max Lane, Jakarta – Any analysis of Indonesian politics during the last year three years, especially since the downfall of President Abdurrahman Wahid, has to take account of the steady

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives endorsed on Thursday a bill on political parties despite the protest of a number of legislators demanding the adoption of specific

Debbie A.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Cracks in the wall the Golkar Party has built up around its embattled leader Akbar Tanjung are becoming increasingly evident, as support from party legislators

Nani Farida and Kurniawan Hari, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Acehnese figures welcomed on Monday a proposal to allow the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to participate in elections, saying

Jakarta – Noted economist Syahrir declared on Monday the formation of the New Indonesian Association Party (PIB) at Hotel Indonesia and was observed by some 3,000 people.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) joined on Tuesday opposition against the plan to revive political parties' power to expel dissenting members from legisla

Jakarta – Fifteen political parties, each of which won less than 2 percent of the vote in the 1999 general election, are requesting that the application of the electoral threshold be ca

Jakarta – In yet another sign of a return to New Order policies, the government is now drafting a bill that will give more power to political parties to expel non-conformist legislators

Jakarta – President Megawati's sister, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, proclaimed here on Thursday the establishment of a new party, Partai Pelopor (Pioneer Party).

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government dispelled public fears on Monday over the number of political parties participating in the 2004 general election, saying that all parties would u

As of the end of July, the number of political parties registered with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights for the 2004 general election had reached a staggering 204.

The influential chairman of Indonesia's national assembly says his chances of winning the presidency in 2004 have been greatly improved by the assembly's decision to hold direct electio

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's opponents may have wanted the just-concluded national assembly session to be a referendum on her one year in offic

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesians could get to elect their next president directly in 2004 after the country's highest legislative body yesterday approved a change to the Constitu

Debbie A.

Berni K.

Berni K.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – In a move to net potential voters who have been disappointed with the performances of existing political parties represented in the country's supreme la

Berni K.

Max Lane, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's support within her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is falling as she increasingly associates with the political figu

Berni K.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri has come under fire for issuing a decree ordering members of her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) to support controv

After signing and approving East Timor's state budget Tuesday, President Xanana Gusmao called for revision of the measures within four months, while also lamenting the lackluster nature

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Two of the largest parties in the Indonesian Parliament, the ruling PDI-P and Golkar, are trying to dislodge Mr Amien Rais as the National Assembly Speaker next

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Senior politicians from Muslim-based parties met again here on Monday in an apparent move to counter a coalition between the Indonesian Democratic Party of Str

President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) could split apart following parliament's decision not to investigate House of Representatives Speaker A

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Political observers with the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) urged the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday to give the public a chance to critique

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri is riding roughshod over her party and sidelining many of her allies as she veers towards the military and the corruption-tai

Robert Go, Jakarta – It's a tale of two "sisters", and of how their abilities to "keep it together" over the next two years would affect the rest of Asean.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – A recent series of gatherings involving Muslim politicians could lead to the establishment of an Islamic alliance against President Megawati Soekarnoputri shou

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – All 11 members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) have threatened to resign en masse if the House of Representatives passes a new election bill that wou

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Political experts criticized chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri dubbing her a "democracy killer"

Jakarta – A number of political leaders belonging to a loose grouping of Islamic parties, plus some Golkar Party legislators, met at the residence of deputy speaker of the People's Cons

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's overriding concern with securing her future through political deal-making is causing ripples in Indonesia's most hotly cont

Jakarta – If the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is going to allow the people to directly elect the president and vice president in 2004, then it should allow them to make that sel

Indonesia's Vice-president, Hamzah Haz, has won the backing of a powerful group from his Islamic party for a possible presidential challenge in 2004.

Moch. N.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Analysts predict that less than 10 political parties will be eligible to contest the 2004 general election should the proposed bill on general elections be ena