President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is on course to win
the presidential elections in July, with a strong lead over his main rivals, a poll released
Friday showed, Antara reports.
The Indonesian Survey Institute poll showed the incumbent President was the
most popular candidate regardless of who he chooses as running mate.
Asked who they would vote for if the election was held this month, half of the
survey respondents opted for Yudhoyono, compared to 18.5 percent for his
closest rival, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Yudhoyono's popularity had surged about seven percent while Megawati's had changed
only slightly since January.
Former military men Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto gained 4.3 percent and 3.0
percent respectively, while Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the sultan and governor of
Yogyakarta, gained 3.9 percent.
Asked who they would support in the April parliamentary elections, almost a
quarter of respondents chose Yudhoyono's Democrat Party (PD), while Megawati's
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) scored 17.3 percent.
The Golkar Party, whose chairman Jusuf Kalla is the current Vice President of
Indonesia, gained 15.9 percent of respondents' support.
The legislative election will be held on April 9 and the presidential election will
take place three months later.
Opinion poll was conducted among a sample of 2,455 Indonesians.
