INDONESIA: Indonesians go to the polls today to directly elect their president for the first time, with a respected former general leading the race to take over a troubled country in the front line of the war on terror.
But if opinion poll leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former chief security minister, fails to get an outright majority today over incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri and other contenders, he will need to win a run-off in September.
The election follows a messy transition to democracy in the world's most populous Muslim nation since Gen Suharto stepped down in 1998, a six-year period marred by political chaos, economic crisis and bomb attacks by Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda.
In a broadcast yesterday, President Megawati urged all candidates and their supporters to ensure the election process was peaceful.
"If we can succeed in passing through these difficult times calmly and peacefully, it is not impossible that our success can be seen as a model for other nations which are currently going through transition to democracy," she said.
Ms Megawati, one of five candidates on today's ballot, achieved a measure of stability in three years in office but has been criticised for not promoting better economic growth and fighting corruption vigorously enough.
Many Indonesians hope former general Mr Yudhoyono (54), will put their unwieldy but resource-rich country on a firmer footing, create the jobs they crave and stamp out pervasive graft.
More than 150 million people are eligible to vote across Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands and 220 million people, making it the world's fourth most populous nation. In the past, a legislative body chose leaders.
The election involves five million workers and more than 585,000 polling stations, with ballots delivered to remote villages by means ranging from four-wheel drive SUVs to donkeys.
In the eastern-most province of Papua yesterday, men carried ballot boxes on their shoulders heading for hilltop villages near the town of Wamena, 3,500 kms from Jakarta.
At the opposite end of the country in Aceh province, site of a simmering separatist rebellion, police toting automatic rifles helped set up the voting booths.
Most opinion polls show Mr Yudhoyono winning 40-45 per cent of the vote, way ahead of Ms Megawati, ex-military chief Mr Wiranto and Muslim leader Mr Amien Rais. The fifth candidate, incumbent Vice President Mr Hamzah Haz, has polled almost no support.
Mr Yudhoyono, Ms Megawati and Mr Wiranto are secular nationalists. Mr Rais is a moderate Muslim leader.
Hundreds of foreign observers, including former US President Jimmy Carter, are on hand to oversee the process.
Some efforts to buy votes or stuff the ballot boxes are considered inevitable in a country where corruption is rife. "We know bills of 20,000, 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah (€9) have been given away to people. This is outrageous, but it's difficult for us to blame the people because they are poor," Mr Rais said yesterday.
Indonesia's election commission has predicted a result could be known within 10 days, but a group of non-governmental bodies may release exit-poll projections may be known hours after voting ends.