Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a clear favourite to win a second term in office in a July election, helped by the resilient performance of Southeast Asia's largest economy during the global crisis.
The poll line-up was finalised after a deadline to register expired on Saturday and will pit the reform-minded Yudhoyono against a political elite with its roots in the Suharto era.
Yudhoyono's is being challenged by his outspoken vice president, Jusuf Kalla, who chairs Golkar, once the political machine of former strongman President Suharto, and Megawatts Sukarnoputri, who heads the PDI-P Party and was defeated by Yudhoyono in a second-round vote in 2004. "The economy will be the main issue in the election campaign," said Sri Eko Budi Wardani, a political analyst at the Centre for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia. Indonesia has managed to avoid recession during the global downturn, unlike some of its more export-reliant neighbours.
"Lately, the data shows that most people are satisfied with the current situation of the economy and politically," said Wardani, adding that even if the economy slumped ahead of the July 8 poll people would be unlikely to blame the government.