The emergence of two new stars

The emergence of two new stars

The legislative election has been conducted nationwide,
although with several delays in a number of remote areas due to
problems with the delivery of election materials.

However, early tallies in several polling stations have
indicated the surprise emergence of two newcomers -- the
Democratic Party and the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS) -- both posting with significant results.

In certain areas, the two have edged out the two major parties
-- the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the
Golkar Party.

On Tuesday morning, the Democratic Party, founded by former
coordinating minister for political affairs and security Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono who resigned last month, was a close third
nationwide with 13.44 percent, ahead of Golkar's 13.33 percent.

These early achievements by the Democratic Party and PKS
remind one of PDI-P's achievement in the 1999 general elections,
during which it gained a landslide victory in most areas of
Indonesia's Java island.

The PKS and Democratic Party are unlikely to win the most
votes this year's general election, but they have made a
significant breakthrough. This is because they are committed to
making changes in this country. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta