Jakarta, July 08: Ex-Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri denounced as a "pseudo-democracy" Wednesday's election that saw incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defeat her by a wide margin, according to exit polls.
"Real democracy means, first, there are no indications of
fraud," Megawati said on local station TV One.
"How could it be that up until yesterday I was still
receiving reports that about 10 million people could not
exercise their right to vote, and also that 68,000 polling
stations were 'disappeared'," she said.
"In my opinion, this is a pseudo-democracy."
Megawati and rival presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla
complained earlier in the week of millions left off voter
rolls, alluding to irregularities that could favour
Yudhoyono's re-election.
A last minute decision by the country's constitutional
court on Monday to allow those not on the roll to use
passports and identity cards to vote was welcomed by both
Megawati and Kalla's campaigns.
Rivals to Yudhoyono's camp made similar complaints about
the voter list in legislative elections in April.
Exit polls and quick counts from voting today show
Yudhoyono winning around 60 per cent of the vote, securing
enough support for a second term outright and eliminating the
need for a runoff. The counts showed Megawati with around 25
per cent of the vote and Kalla, the current vice president,
with 15 per cent.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, July 08, 2009, 21:09