Win for Yudhoyono in Indonesia's 2009 Presidential Election

Yudhoyono, who is likely to continue as president of Indonesia. (Photo from brianakira.wordpress.com/page/46/)

Indonesia, the world's 19th largest economy, has been having a presidential election and the result will probably please the USA.

However, the USA, China and Russia are all competing for influence in Southeast Asia, and Yudhoyono, expected to continue as Indonesian president, could opt to do defence deals with Russia and China, as well as the USA and Europe. (Asia Times Online - Indonesia-Russia: Arms.)

Exit polls, broadcast by Metro TV, show that former General Yudhoyono, thought to be a friend of the USA, has 58.51% of the vote.

Yudhoyono's rivals, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jusuf Kalla have 26.32 and 15.18 percent respectively.

Note that in the world's biggest Moslem country all the presidentail candidates are secular figures.

Voters tend not to like Islamists, as such people are usually front men for feudal fascists linked to the worst elements of the CIA or Mossad.

Indonesia's economy has been growing at 6% per year. But many people are unemployed and hungry.

Yudhoyono probably is the real winner.

Megawati's running mate was the controversial General Parabowo, regarded by many as a war criminal and friend of the Pentagon; and Kalla is not Javanese and has been linked to corruption and big business.

Mind you, there have been allegations of vote rigging in the past.

On 18 February 2009, East Java police chief Herman Sumawiredja announced that his investigators had found evidence of criminal fraud in the elections of a governor.

Reportedly, over 27% of the names on some voting lists were fake. The next day, Sumawiredja was removed from his post by police HQ in Jakarta.

Sumawiredja refused to remain silent. Source: Free and fair election in Indonesia?

Indonesia is the biggest Moslem country in the world and has the 4th biggest population in the world.

Indonesia has had economic growth of more than 6% for the last two years, but unemployment and poverty are huge problems.

We have seen many malnourished children in Indonesia.

More than 2 million Indonesians enter the labour market every year and there are not enough jobs.

That has led to a jobless rate of 8.25%, considerably higher than that of its regional neighbours. Economy dominates Indonesia election

President Yudhoyono has been criticised for his free market policies, and for 'kowtowing to the West'.

Indonesia's poverty rate is amongst the highest in Asia.

~