INDONESIA NEWS (Asia): Voting began in Indonesia Indonesians today. This is only the third general election after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in the year 1998. This is a poll to decide who can run for president in July.
The resignation of dictator Suharto was amid protests and financial ruin after 3 decades in power that heralded the beginning of the "Reformasi" era of political change. Today’s vote is seen as one more key test for Indonesia's young democracy.
Electoral official Enos, of Timika in the far eastern province of Papua said, "Our polling stations are now open for the Indonesian elections. We are waiting for voters to arrive."
Indonesia is mainly a Muslim country with 171 million eligible voters and they are voting in this election to choose between thousands of candidates on local, provincial and national levels. There are total of 520,000 polling booths and some 6,000 inhabited islands in this third general election after 1998.
The polls started at 7:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday) in Papua. There was of unrest whole night amid calls for independence and a also boycott of the election vote.
Police had shot dead one person because about 100 people armed with arrows and bombs attacked a police booth at night. More news of unrest comes that an office in a university and a fuel depot were put to fire.
According to a report on The Times of India, Bagus Ekodanto, chief of Papua police said "The incidents... indicate that there are people who want the elections to fail"
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Snippets of this Indonesia general election news: Voting started as scheduled for general election in Indonesia amid unrest at night, Indonesia Election, Election in Jakarta, Papua Election, The Times of India News
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April 09, 2009 | 0
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