Novel Dunia

8 July 2009 07:50am

Indonesians voted calmly in their emerging democracy's second direct presidential election, with the incumbent expected to win a single-round victory on the back of recent economic and political stability.

An unofficial quick count at 2,000 polling stations with a fifth of ballots counted gave President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 54% of the vote, which would be enough to avoid a runoff in September.

Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former president whose father was the first leader of Indonesia, was second at 24%, with Vice President Jusuf Kalla at 22%.

The preliminary result was based on ballots from all 33 provinces and was conducted by the Indonesian Survey Circle, which has accurately forecast previous elections, and broadcast on the TVOne television broadcaster.