Indonesians vote calmly in 2nd direct presidential poll; Yudhoyono re-election expected

September 17th, 2009 Gabon's opposition challenges election resultsLIBREVILLE, Gabon — Opposition candidates defeated in last month's disputed presidential election say they are challenging the results in court. Over two dozen opposition candidates issued a statement Thursday saying their experts had reviewed the results and found "grave irregularities and fraud" in the vote tallies issued by two-thirds of the country's polling stations.

September 16th, 2009 KABUL - President Hamid Karzai won an absolute majority in Afghanistan's presidential election, the official election commission announced Wednesday. Incumbent Karzai won 54.6 percent of the vote in the Aug 20 poll, nearly double the 27.8 percent of his nearest rival, Abdullah Abdullah, the commission said.

August 20th, 2009 KABUL - Amid tight security and militant threats to disrupt polls, the presidential and provincial elections began nationwide Thursday with around 17 million Afghans eligible to vote. President Hamid Karzai cast his vote at a polling station near the presidential palace early in the day.

August 12th, 2009 Top court rejects Indonesian electoral fraud claimJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's Constitutional Court has unanimously rejected claims of electoral fraud filed by the losers of last month's presidential poll. Presiding Judge Mohammad Mahfud said Wednesday the nine justices found "no massive violation in the registration of eligible voters." President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was re-elected July 8 with 61 percent of the popular vote — more than twice that of his closest rival.

July 24th, 2009 JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the country's July 8 presidential election with 60.8 percent of the votes, the General Elections Commission said. Yudhoyono collected nearly 74 million votes to win a second five-year term, the commission said on its website while reporting its final tally of the ballots.

July 17th, 2009 JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said intelligence reports suggested there were attempts to destabilise the country, including a plot to kill him, and urged authorities to investigate whether Friday's deadly blasts at two Jakarta luxury hotels were part of the schemes. Yudhoyono condemned the bomb attacks on Jakarta's JW Marriott hotel and the nearby Ritz-Carlton, which killed at least nine people and injured more than 50, as "a heinous terrorist act".

July 9th, 2009 Early results show Indonesian president winningJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's president swept elections to win a second term, preliminary results showed Thursday, but his opponents refused to concede defeat and called the vote undemocratic. The National Election Commission gave incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 62 percent in its first preliminary figures, based on more than 18.7 million ballots counted after Wednesday's vote.

July 9th, 2009 Re-election raises hope of bold Indonesian govtJAKARTA, Indonesia — The next challenge for Indonesia's president, after winning re-election in a likely landslide, will be assembling a government that is bold enough to take on persistent corruption, poverty and human rights violations seen to be holding back the young democracy. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a 59-year-old retired general and the first directly elected head of state in this predominantly Muslim nation of 235 million, helped Indonesia move beyond an era wracked by secessionist conflicts, Islamist militancy and vast financial uncertainty.

July 9th, 2009 Observers: Indonesian election free of tamperingJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's election was largely free and fair, independent observers said Thursday, as preliminary results showed the president had easily won enough votes to govern for another five years. Early returns showed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had more than 60 percent of the votes, more than enough to avoid a September runoff.

July 8th, 2009 Indonesians vote in presidential electionJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesians voted Wednesday in their emerging democracy's second direct presidential election, with the incumbent expected to win a single-round victory thanks to recent economic and political stability. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won popular support on a campaign of anti-corruption and financial support for the poor.

July 8th, 2009 JAYAPURA - Indonesians begin voting Wednesday in only the second direct presidential elections in the country's history, with incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is widely expected to win a second five-year term. Voting commenced at 7 a.m.

July 8th, 2009 Indonesians at polls to elect new presidentJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesians began casting votes Wednesday in this emerging democracy's second direct presidential election, in which the incumbent is expected to win a single-round victory. The majority of Indonesians are satisfied with the country's newfound economic and political stability, following decades of brutal authoritarian rule.

July 8th, 2009 Indonesian president set for re-electionJAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was poised to win his second term in office on the back of recent economic and political stability, according to early returns Wednesday in the country's presidential election. After the close of polls, an unofficial quick count at 2,000 polling stations with 90 percent ballots tallied gave Yudhoyono 59 percent of the vote, which would be enough to avoid a runoff in September.

July 7th, 2009 A brief overview of the Indonesian electionIndonesia, the world's third-largest democracy with 235 million people, held its second direct presidential election Wednesday. _____ WHAT'S AT STAKE: Predominantly Muslim Indonesia is experiencing newfound stability after the end of Suharto's 32-year dictatorship, but is struggling to overcome deep-rooted corruption and widespread poverty.

May 10th, 2009 Indonesian president's party wins electionJAKARTA, Indonesia — The secular party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has scored a victory in Indonesia's parliamentary elections, but will likely be forced to govern with several Islamic parties after a political feud with his main coalition partner. The final tallies, released late Saturday, give the reform-minded leader a boost before he runs for re-election in July.