Soeharto reelected for 7th term
JAKARTA (JP): The 1,000-seat People's Consultative Assembly reelected President Soeharto to a seventh five-year term yesterday in smooth proceedings lasting less than 30 minutes.
Soeharto, who will turn 77 on June 8, will take his presidential oath at the Assembly today, the close of the 11-day congress. He will also make his inaugural address in the morning session.
The new vice president, most likely B.J. Habibie, will be sworn in separately and make his inaugural speech at the Assembly tonight.
Soeharto's election was a formality as all the Assembly factions -- Golkar, the Armed Forces (ABRI), regional representatives, United Development Party (PPP) and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- had previously endorsed him as their presidential choice.
All factions also nominated Habibie, a long-time Soeharto confidante and outgoing state minister of research and technology, for vice president.
Assembly Speaker Harmoko opened yesterday's session, attended by 923 Assembly members, at 9 a.m., and formally closed it at about 9:25 a.m.
One Golkar member died recently but there was no formal explanation on the absence of the other 76 Assembly members.
The Assembly is comprised of 425 members of the House of Representatives elected in last year's general election and 575 presidential appointees.
Of the House members, 325 belong to the government's Golkar, 11 to PDI and 89 to PPP.
Yesterday's presidential election opened with Assembly Secretary-General Afif Ma'roef reading the results of checks on Soeharto's credentials and his interviews with faction leaders last Sunday.
Soeharto, who has been in power for 32 years, was the only name on all letters of candidacy submitted by the factions.
"So Haji Muhammad Soeharto is the sole presidential candidate," Afif announced.
Background checks by all factions found Soeharto conformed to fundamental requirements of the presidential candidate.
He possesses an ID card signed by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, letter of good conduct from National police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo, letter confirming noninvolvement in the banned Indonesian Communist Party, also from Dibyo, letter of ideological screening by the internal security agency chief from Gen. Wiranto, a letter stating he is not serving a sentence or under investigation from Chief Justice Sarwata and a health certificate from the chief of presidential medical team, Bondan Haryono.
The administrative proceedings ended with Afif stating that Soeharto agreed to be renominated.
Applause
The convention hall erupted in applause after Harmoko asked rhetorically: "Brother Soeharto is appointed Indonesia's president for the 1998/2003 period. Do you agree?"
"Agree..." thundered the participants as they rose to their feet and clapped.
Harmoko, the incumbent Golkar chairman and a former minister of information under Soeharto, said the Assembly directly legalized Soeharto's election because he was the lone candidate.
"Because the single presidential candidate has met all the requirements... herewith the Assembly leadership appoints Brother Soeharto as the president for the 1998/2003 term," Harmoko said, before his voice was drowned out by another ovation.
Members of the powerful military faction in the Assembly commended Soeharto's reelection.
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto expressed optimism the Soeharto administration would be able to solve the economic crisis that has been deteriorating since it began last July.
"We are all obliged to support what has been decided by the Assembly and to do what we can to help solve the hardship facing the nation," Wiranto told the media.
Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, who chairs the ABRI faction in the House of Representatives, said the President would need capable cabinet members to deal with the crisis.
"Cabinet ministers should coordinate (among themselves) and should not compete to appear the best," he said.
Members of the outgoing cabinet lineup have been widely criticized for lack of coordination. Several were notorious for making conflicting statements on the same issue. (team)