More than 11 years after the downfall of Indonesia's autocratic president Suharto, whose 32-year rule was marked by corruption and rights abuses, figures from his era are still dominating Indonesia's political scene.
All three tickets for the July 8 presidential election consist of figures from the Suharto regime, known as the New Order, and each of the teams has a former general who rose to military leadership during the dictator's army-backed rule.
"Many politicians are closely linked to the New Order, and this isn't necessarily bad for democracy," argued Sunny Tanuwidjaja, a political analyst from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.
"The transition from authoritarianism to democracy in Indonesia has been relatively more stable compared to that in some other countries because elites in both reform and authoritarian camps have made concessions," he said.
Tanuwidjaja added, however, that he believed the next election would see new blood, spelling an end to an era dominated by figures from the regime of Suharto, who resigned in 1998 amid widespread unrest and discontent with his rule at the height of the Asian financial crisis, paving the way for the "Reformasi" era.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, one of the former Suharto-era generals with a cleaner reputation, is the clear favourite in next week's voting.
He has picked former central bank governor Boediono as his running mate in a bid to boost his economic credentials. Several surveys indicated that Yudhoyono, who holds a doctorate in agriculture, would win more than 50 per cent of the vote, possibly allowing him to avoid a September run-off.
Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, an opposition figure in the waning days of Suharto's reign, has picked as her running mate former commander of the army's Kopassus special forces, Prabowo Subianto, who was also a son-in-law of the late strongman.
Analysts said they believe that if Megawati wins the presidency, Prabowo would become the stronger figure, given Megawati's reputation for detachment from policy details.
The pair's campaign promises include promoting a "pro-people economy," focusing on areas such as agriculture and fisheries. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, chairman of the Golkar Party, once Suharto's political vehicle, is teaming up with former armed forces chief Wiranto, a former protege of Suharto, who died in January 2008.
Rights activists said Wiranto as military chief was at least morally responsible for the widespread violence that marred East Timor's vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999. He has denied any wrongdoing. Prabowo's military career was cut short after he was implicated in the abduction of dissidents that took place in the months before Suharto's rule ended. Some of those kidnapped were never seen again and are presumed dead.
Prabowo, who admitted that he is still barred from travelling to the United States because of his human rights record, hinted in February that he was responsible for the kidnappings.
"In a certain administration, we could say it was preventative detention, and if the regime changes, then we say it's kidnapping," 57-year-old Prabowo told foreign correspondents.
"I served with honour," he said. "My conscience is clear. I took responsibility." Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a researcher at the Indonesian Survey Institute, said the fact that old faces still dominated the political scene indicated that after 11 years of reform, a new generation of young leaders capable of challenging the status quo had yet to emerge. "We are in a position where we are forced to choose the lesser evil," he said.
Muhtadi said his institute's surveys showed that respondents tended to choose well-known politicians instead of young, alternative figures, whose electability was constantly below 1 per cent.
Both Tanuwidjaja and Muhtadi said they believed that this year's elections would be the last hurrah for most of the Suharto-era figures. Of the candidates contesting next week's election, only Prabowo is believed to harbour presidential ambitions for 2014, they said.
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