Indonesian president heading for election defeat

Indonesia’s President Megawati Sukarnoputri is heading for a heavy defeat in next week’s elections despite her coalition with the country’s largest political party, two opinion polls showed today.

Retired general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has the support of 61%t of voters, compared to 29% who say they will vote for Megawati, according to one poll. Another gave Yudhoyono 57% to Megawati’s 31.5%.

The election on September 20 follows first round polls in July, which Yudhoyono won but without an overall majority. Megawati came in second, setting up next week’s face-off between the two.

The elections are the first in which Indonesia’s 210 million people will choose their leader directly, and are considered a milestone in the country’s transition to democracy after President Suharto’s fall in 1998.