10.04.2004 The Jarkata Post
Susilo wins presidential election
JAKARTA (Bloomberg): Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won Indonesia's presidential election after the former general garnered support from three-fifths of voters, the General Election Commission said.
The commission has completed its manual count, the basis for an official result. Susilo received 69.27 million votes, or 60.6 percent of the 114.26 million valid ballots tallied. President Megawati Soekarnoputri got 44.99 million, or a 39.4 percent share, it said.
Susilo pledged to accelerate growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, where an estimated 10 million people are jobless and another 30 million work fewer than 35 hours a week. His record as the former security minister also helped convince voters he could improve stability in a country where terrorist attacks killed more than 223 people in two years.
"Since the first day, with the results of the quick count, people have anticipated this outcome," said Budi Budar, who helps oversee the equivalent of $16 million for Samuel Asset Management in Jakarta. "This removes the uncertainty. Now people are speculating about the cabinet."
The result is official after all parties agreed to the final tally, the commission said at the count center in Jakarta. Voter turnout was 76 percent, with 2.41 million votes invalidated, it said.
Both the currency and stock market rallied on the announcement. The Jakarta Composite Index rose 1.9 percent to a record, helping to lift the rupiah 0.5 percent to 9,094 as of 2:37 p.m. Jakarta time. Dismisses Objection
The commission will declare Susilo, 55, the victor at 4 p.m. Jakarta time, dismissing an objection lodged by Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the election commission's Chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, said.
The party objected to any declaration of victory today, arguing that Oct. 5 was the official date decided earlier, said Arif Widowo, a witness from her party.
Susilo is scheduled to take office on Oct. 20, with Jusuf Kalla as his vice-president. |
