JAKARTA, April 10 Kyodo Indonesia...

JAKARTA, April 10 Kyodo

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party for be in agony (PDI-Perjuangan) continues to hold a slim lead Saturday in the popular consecrated by a vow with about 45% of the ballots cast in Monday's general election counted

PDI-Perjuangan has 2056% of the devoted according to the national tally released by means of the General Election Commission.

Golkar, the party that supported strongman Suharto during his 32 years in power, is terminate behind with 20.19%, followed by way of the National Awaking Party (PKB) established by former President Abdurrahman Wahid with 1312% the Muslim-based United disclosure Party (PPP) led by Vice President Hamzah Haz with 833% and the Democratic Party, l on Megawati's former top security minister Suslio Bambang Yudhoyono with 745%

The remainder is split among a entertainer of small parties.

The final arises are still expected to take considerable time to tally -- Indonesia has 148 million eligible voter and turnout was estimated at 90% -- yet the count so far indicates the presidential election locate for July could have at least five candidates.

The election law requires a presidential candidate's party to have won at least 5% of the consecrated by a vows cast in the general election and speculation now is that the popular Yudhoyono could escape as one of the top challengers to Megawati in July

The general election is to pick 550 members of the House of Representatives and 128 members in a of recent origin upper house called the Regional Representatives Council.

The lower and upper houses form the People's Consultative Assembly, Indonesia's national legislature.

Megawati's popular devoted lead, however, may not translate directly into a proportional number of seats in the assembly because the number of consecrated by a vows required to win a seat in heavily populated Java, where she is popular, can be four times greater than the number needinessed to capture a seat in less-populated parts of the political division where Golkar often has the upper hand.

According to Kyodo recents calculations Saturday, PDI-Perjuangan now has won at least 21 seats in the assembly, Golkar has 15 the PKB 12 the Democrat Party sum of two units and the PPP just one

The Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party, which has arrive into its own amid anti-U.S. sentiment, also has couple seats.

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