By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | JAKARTA — Indonesia's political campaigning season opened Monday with a spectacle of color as thousands of flag-waving supporters rallied for candidates competing in legislative and presidential elections.
 Supporters of political parties react during the opening of a political party rally in Jakarta on March 16. (Photo: Reuters) |
Incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the favorite to win a second five-year term on July 8.
"We call on the people to participate in the election process peacefully," Yudhoyono said in a message to the nation from his palace in the capital, Jakarta. "Let's obey the law and regulations."
In the three-way race for the presidency are Yudhoyono, a retired general with the Democratic Party, former President Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, chairman of the Golkar party that ruled during the 32-year Suharto regime. If no candidate wins a simple majority of the vote, a run-off would be held Sept. 8.
But while Yudhoyono is widely expected to coast to victory, his Democratic Party faces tough opposition from 37 rival parties in an April 9 vote for the 560-seat parliament.
Around 171 million Indonesians are eligible to participate in the legislative race and second direct presidential elections since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998.
Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation of 235 million, faces economic uncertainty as the impact of the global financial crisis begins to be felt. Voters, including tens of millions living in poverty, will be looking for promises of job security, cheap staple food and measures to fight rampant corruption.
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