THE COUNT CONTINUES

July 8, 1999
		As the ballot count continues in Indonesia's first free parlimentary vote in 45 years, some observers worry the slow pace of the count may affect the country's upcoming presidential election. Elizabeth Farnsworth leads a discussion on Indonesia's election process.

July 8, 1999: A discussion on Indonesia's parlimentary elections. June 2, 1998: A discussion about Indonesia attempts at forming a democratic society May 20, 1998: The U.S. calls for Suharto's departure. May 19, 1998: An ITN report on the political crisis in Indonesia. May 14, 1998: Student demonstrators take to the streets in Indonesia. May 4, 1998: The IMF continues its $43 billion bailout of Indonesia. March 13, 1998: Read a recent Online Forum on the future of Indonesia. March 10, 1998: Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin discusses U.S. efforts to assist Indonesia. Feb. 27, 1998: The reasons behind Indonesia's falling rupiah. Jan. 19, 1998: An examination of the International Monetary Fund's bailout of the Asian economies. Jan. 9, 1998: Indonesia's reluctance to follow the IMF plan sends markets tumbling. Nov. 13, 1996: A discussion with a Nobel Peace Prize winner from East Timor. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Asia.   Indonesian Foreign Affairs department U.S. Embassy in Jakarta	ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Last month, millions of Indonesians flocked to the polls for that nation's first truly open election since 1955. Election observers, including former President Jimmy Carter, commended the orderly and apparently fair manner in the vote for members of a new parliament. FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER: I don't have any indication, no evidence yet, I don't even have any allegations coming to me from any of the major party officials, that such illegalities have been perpetrated or that the ultimate outcome of the will of the Indonesian people has been subverted.
	Carter: A warning about credibility
	ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: But Carter was among those warning that the credibility of the election process could be damaged if it took too long to count the votes, not just in big cities like the capital, Jakarta, but in the 14,000 islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago. The elections were part of a package of reforms promised last year by Indonesia's new president B.J. Habibie. He came to power after weeks of massive demonstrations that brought an end to 33 years of authoritarian rule by President Suharto. Habibie also inherited an economy shattered by the financial crisis that hit East Asia in 1997. Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians who had risen from poverty to middle class status lost jobs and found themselves falling back into lives of hunger and unemployment. Many had taken out their anger at Suharto, who was accused to enriching his family and friends with so-called "crony capitalism." Habibie's reforms for this country of 212 million people included promising a free press, allowing the formation of opposition political parties and holding democratic elections. The press has become vocal and spirited and two major political groups, as well as smaller parties, rose up to challenge the ruling Golkar party in the elections. And the 500-member parliament was supposed to combine with 200 provincial leaders in a people's consultative assembly that would choose a new president later in the year.
	Habibie: Indonesia should embrace democracy
	ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: On election day Habibie urged all parties to embrace the democratic process and respect the results of the ballot. B. J. HABIBIE, Indonesian President: In every game there's a winner and loser, and the party that wins should act with nobility and think of the responsibility it has over the next five years. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: But one month after the elections, only sixty percent of the votes have been tallied. Final results were due today, were once again postponed, this time until July 21. Based on the official count so far, the principal opposition party known as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is ahead with 36% of the vote. Its leader is Megawati Sukarnoputri-- the daughter of Indonesia's former president Sukarno, who lead the struggle against Dutch colonialism and who was ousted by Suharto in a bloody coup in 1965 in which thousands were killed. Habibie's party -- the Golkar Party -- is running a distant second with 20 percent of the vote. Forty-six other parties, including several Muslim groups in this overwhelmingly Muslim nation, share the remaining vote. Officials said the counting was complicated by Indonesia's sprawling geography. But opposition groups raised accusations of corruption and vote tampering, and that has led to violence. Last Thursday, fifteen hundred protesters in Jakarta hurled rocks and demanded that the ruling Golkar Party be disqualified. Police moved in, firing shots and using tear gas to control the crowd. About two dozen people were wounded. The next day heavily armed police suppressed demonstrators who tried to march on the election commission headquarters. And Indonesia is also facing violence in East Timor.
	The East Timor question
	ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Habibie had promised a referendum on autonomy or independence for residents of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony that Indonesia seized in 1975. A vote was scheduled but then postponed by U.N. election monitors because of violence. Last week, there were several attacks on U.N. election officials by militias, which have also attacked pro-independence leaders. Some say the militias are armed by the Indonesian military, which still has responsibility for overall security in East Timor. At least twelve U.N. workers have been injured, and U.N. officials said the violence could derail the referendum. Yesterday the head of the U.N. mission in East Timor demanded that Indonesia rein in the militias. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to announce a final decision on the East Timor ballot date within the next few days.