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Indonesian President Wins Second Term


Indonesia's election commission says President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the winner of this month's presidential election.

Results released late Thursday show Mr. Yudhoyono winning a second five-year term in a landslide, taking 61 percent of the vote - more than enough to avoid a runoff election. His nearest challenger, ex-President Megawati Sukarnoputri, earned 27 percent of the vote. Outgoing Vice President Jusuf Kalla was a distant third with 12 percent.

Mr. Yudhoyono's opponents have complained about alleged irregularities in voter lists, and are vowing to take legal action.

The streets leading to the election commission headquarters in downtown Jakarta have been sealed off by police, in anticipation of public protests against the results.

The election commission will formally announce the results on Saturday.

Mr. Yudhoyono, affectionately known by his initials SBY, is credited with leading the predominantly Muslim country to economic and political stability, more than a decade after the 32-year Suharto dictatorship ended. He is praised for his efforts to root out government corruption and crackdown on terrorist groups.

But last week's deadly twin bombings on two luxury Jakarta hotels cast a pall over Indonesia in the aftermath of the election, just the second since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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