Accept whoever wins poll: Mega
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta/Surabaya
Incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri has reiterated her call for a peaceful election and asked the nation to accept whoever was elected the next president in the vote on Monday.
In a speech on the eve of the final round of presidential elections on Sunday, Megawati said all Indonesians were obligated to support the next president.
"Whoever gains the people's trust as president and vice president in the current election are the country's legitimate leaders, who must receive our sincere support and acceptance," Megawati said. .pa
She said whatever the result and despite people's different political affiliations, the election process should not undermine national unity.
"We have shown the world in the past two elections (this year) that we can participate in orderly and peaceful polls and there is no need to have any security concerns," Megawati said.
Indonesia held a legislative election on April 5 and the first round of presidential polls on July 5.
Megawati's former chief security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, were the top polling candidates the July 5 election, which was contested by five pairs of candidates, while Megawati came second.
The incumbent president, paired with non-active Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Hasyim Muzadi as her running mate, is facing a tough battle on Monday as her popularity continues to trail Susilo's.
Along with the official Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) and independent domestic monitoring teams, international bodies including one from the European Union and the Carter Center are observing the poll.
Megawati warned of the possibility of increasing tensions during vote counting and asked all political, community and religious leaders to calm their supporters.
Panwaslu officials and political analysts have said political clashes could occur, particularly in Java where support for Megawati and Susilo is relatively equal.
On Sunday, poll workers assisted by residents started to establish polling stations around the country.
In East Java, an important battlefield for the two rivals, a group of NU clerics issued a religious edict banning abstention in the election.
One person likely to transgress the edict is influential former NU leader and president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who has publicly stated many times he would abstain from voting in the runoff.
At the same time, Gus Dur has given his support to his daughter Zanuba "Yeni" Arifah Chafsoh Rahman who is a member of Susilo's campaign team. The former president has met separately with the two candidates several times.
In Pekanbaru, Riau, the eve of election was marked with a campaign by a group calling for a boycott of the election on Monday.
In Lhokseumawe, Aceh, currently under a state of civil emergency, soldiers and police put up checkpoints on roads in and out of the area and required all travelers to show their identity cards.
Monday's runoff is Indonesia's first direct presidential election since it gained independence in 1945.