Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri registered to compete in a July 5 election yesterday, joining a crowded field of candidates vying to lead the world's fourth most populous country.
Megawati has introduced unpopular cuts in subsidies and higher prices for some essentials since she took over in 2001 and is seen as lagging in popularity behind the favorite, her former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"This is the people's finest choice," an official of her party shouted to clapping supporters as Megawati, daughter of the country's independence leader, Sukarno, filed her nomination papers.
About 148 million Indonesians are eligible to choose their leader directly for the first time in the country's history in the July election.
Yesterday was the deadline for nominations and the election commission is due to confirm the list of candidates tomorrow.
As well as Megawati and Yudhoyono, at least four other candidates are expected to take part in in the race, including former military chief Wiranto, who filed his nomination on Tuesday.
The crowded field is likely to mean no candidate wins a majority, forcing a run-off on Sept. 20 between the top two candidates and leading to months more political uncertainty.
Megawati, a secular nationalist, has chosen Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim group, as her vice presidential running mate. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.
The end of the authoritarian rule of former leader Suharto in 1998 ushered in a fractured democracy with dozens of parties and a parliament where none has a majority.
As a result, presidential candidates have been selecting running mates from other parties or ideological backgrounds in an effort to form winning coalitions, analysts say.
Wiranto, who has been indicted for war crimes in the former Indonesian province of East Timor, has named a prominent human rights official as his running mate.
Wiranto has denied committing human rights violations.
He has chosen Salahuddin Wahid, deputy head of the Indonesian human rights commission, as his vice presidential candidate.
RSS