The Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid would be prepared to declare a civil emergency if MPs go ahead and call for a special session of the top legislature to start impeachment proceedings, his spokesman said today.
"President Abdurrahman Wahid sees a civil emergency as an alternative if a special session is implemented," Adhie Massardi told reporters.
Parliament meets on Wednesday to decide whether to take its two formal censures of Wahid a step further and call on the People's Consultative Assembly to meet to discuss sacking the Muslim cleric.
Massardi said that if the session went ahead the reaction from people would be uncontrollable.
A civil emergency is one level below martial law where a civil authority takes over the running of the country. It was not clear whether such a move would include dissolving parliament which is almost united in its opposition to Wahid.