8 Jul 2009

President clear favourite in Indonesian election

8:49 am on 8 July 2009

Indonesians go to the polls in a presidential election on Wednesday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 59, is the clear favourite in most opinion polls.

Other candidates are former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Yudhoyono had 63% support in a recent Indonesian Survey Institute poll, and most polls have put him above 50%.

Voting begins in Papua in the easternmost part of the archipelago, where polls are due toclose at 0500 GMT.

It is Indonesia's second direct presidential vote since former president Suharto stepped down in 1998.