Jakarta
Indonesians went to the polls this week for their first direct presidential election, but millions struggled with their ballots. Officials reported that many voters failed to unfold the paper ballots before punching a hole beside the name of their presidential choice. As a result, their ballots contain two holes and must be checked by hand to determine the voter’s intent. The exact results won’t be known for weeks. But preliminary tallies indicate a run-off will be necessary between the top two of five candidates: incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who was originally selected by the legislature, and challenger Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former security minister. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, began its transition to democracy in 1998, when dictator Suharto was toppled after ruling for three decades.
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