Elections: Megawati allies herself with Muslim moderate organization

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri,  encountering  difficulties running for the presidential elections in July, allied today with the head of the most powerful Muslim organization of the country, to attract votes from its followers.

Ms. Megawati, whose party has just lost the general elections, chose as its "number two" Hasyim Muzadi, head of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), a massive organization of 40 million people.

President Megawati hopes her choice will adher the votes of millions of the moderate organization's members. About 90 percent of Indonesia's 212 million citizens are Muslim. The former head of the NU Abdurrahman Wahid, keeping his influence on the organization, refuses, however,  to back the candidacy of Muzadi. Wahid was dismissed from Parliament in 2001 and was replaced by Magawati, who was, at that time, the Vice-President.

Megawati's  Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle lost the general elections, the results of which were announced yesterday. She obtained only 18.5 percent of the vote compared to the 34 percent she gained in 1999.

The Golkar, the party of the former dictator Suharto, became the first party of the parliament getting 21.58 percent of votes, and 128 from 550 seats.

• indonesia
• elections
• islam