Indonesian President pledges reforms

IDONESIA: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a gathering of his Democrat Party on Sunday he would push ahead with reforms if he won a second term in this year’s elections.

The 59-year-old former general, seen as the most pro-business and pro-reform of Indonesia’s presidential candidates, needs to win a strong mandate in order to have the power to overhaul the judiciary, civil service, and police, and deal with the impact of a global economic slowdown.

Yudhoyono’s Democrat Party, a centrist party which won just 7.5 percent of the votes in 2004, is well ahead of its more established rivals in the run-up to the April 9 parliamentary elections which will determine which parties can field presidential candidates.

For a Q&A on Indonesia’s elections, click on An opinion poll last month showed 23 percent of those surveyed would vote for the Democrat Party, potentially reducing the need to rely on several other parties in a coalition.

Jakarta, Monday, Reuters