Mega departs for Bali vacation

Mega departs for Bali vacation

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

Confident of entering the likely runoff poll in September,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri was flown in the presidential
plane to the country's resort island of Bali, on Friday, for a
three-day vacation.

Megawati, accompanied by her grandchildren and daughter-in-law
Sri Laksmi Dewi, the wife of Megawati's eldest son Mohammad Rizky
Pratama, will stay at the five-star Conrad Hotel at Tanjung
Benoa.

Her husband, Taufik Kiemas, is scheduled to leave for Bali on
Saturday (today), while her daughter, Puan Maharani, left on
Thursday.

The president's office said on Friday that Megawati was not
expected to attend any state events in the next three days.

"The President is slated to return on Sunday. She will be at
the palace on Monday," a staff member of the office said.

"Ibu is tired, and she wants to rest for a while," one of her
close aides told The Jakarta Post.

During the month-long campaign period that ended on July 1,
Megawati, seeking a full five-year term, traveled extensively
within the country.

She is currently ranked second in the provisional tally and
expected to qualify for the second round of the presidential
election scheduled for Sept. 20, along with former coordinating
minister for political and security affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.

Aside from Megawati and Susilo, other candidates contesting
the country's first direct presidential election on July 5 were
Wiranto, Amien Rais and Hamzah Haz.

Antara reported that the presidential entourage arrived at
Ngurah Rai airport at 11:30 a.m., with Bali Governor Dewa Beratha
greeting Megawati.

Bali is the PDI-P's stronghold and Megawati has, so far,
secured around 45 percent of the vote there.