Indonesia: Strong election showings for Islamic parties

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"This confirms that 30 percent support is a natural level for (Islamic parties) as there are still some parts of the country where they remain popular."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Star / Reuters
By K. kapoor/R. Fabi | April 9, 32014

JAKARTA - Indonesia's Islamic political parties are poised to grab a larger-than-expected share of the vote in Wednesday's general election, indicating a loyal following in the world's most populous Muslim nation despite a spate of corruption scandals.

The country's five Islamic-based national parties looked to have grabbed a combined 32 percent share of the national vote, performing slightly better than in the last parliamentary election in 2009, according to a quick count by think-tank CSIS.

In the run-up to the elections, pollsters were forecasting the downfall of Indonesia's Islamic parties.

"This confirms that 30 percent support is a natural level for (Islamic parties) as there are still some parts of the country where they remain popular," said Douglas Ramage, political analyst at Bower Group Asia consultancy.

Despite the strong showing on Wednesday, the parties are divided and are not expected to form a coalition that would allow them to field a candidate in a July presidential election.

But individually, the Islamic parties, like the PKB and the National Mandate Party (PAN), could play influential roles as the larger political groups look to form coalitions.

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