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Golkar Party's presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie looked confident when he led the party's campaign in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Tuesday amid support for former vice president Jusuf Kalla, who is of South Sulawesi descent, who had also been touted as a potential vice presidential candidate.

The leased Fokker F100 executive jet carrying Aburizal and his 50-person entourage, which included some 20 journalists, arrived at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport where several Golkar local executives were waiting for the tycoon.

Bosnian Serb opposition dismiss Republika Srpska leader's claim that he may go for independence if country is not reorganised as a tripartite confederation.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said if a deal on Bosnia as a confederation of three units is not possible, Bosnia's mainly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, RS, reserved a right to hold a referendum on seeking outright independence. 

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations top diplomat in Afghanistan on Wednesday said there would be no international meddling in Saturday’s presidential and provincial elections.

“There is no foreign interference in your elections. These elections are the elections of the Afghan people; Afghan political forces for Afghan candidates,” he said.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative Jan Kubiš told reporters in Kabul Afghans should use the opportunity to shape the future of their country through peaceful democratic means.

Jakarta. A fatal drive-by shooting on the streets of a Bireun district village on Monday night was the latest instance of politically motivated violence in the turbulent run-up to the April 9 legislative election, the National Police said on Wednesday.

“It’s clear that [the shooting was motivated by] competition between political parties,” National Police Chief Sutarman said. “We ask the people of Aceh to stay away from any provocation of any political power that may lead to violence.”

Des dirigeants du Forum national pour la démocratie et l’unité(FNDU) ont déclaré, mardi soir, àSaharamédias, que le Premier ministre, Moulay Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, a assuré l’opposition de la présence du gouvernement aux assises du dialogue prévu entre le pouvoir et les deux pôles de l’opposition mais qu’il ne sera pas présent à la rencontre préparatoire de ces discussions. 

Jakarta. The state palace has maintained its innocence over the accusation that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has misused the presidential plane to campaign on behalf of his Democratic Party.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the complaints filed to the the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) by some activists and non-government organizations were irrelevant because they ignored the fact that as Indonesia’s president, Yudhoyono was entitled to use the state’s facilities.

Le 1er congrès des Fares, le parti qui a soutenu l’ancien Premier ministre, Modibo Sidibé, lors de la dernière présidentielles s’est tenu en l’absence de ténors emblématiques qui l’ont porté sur les fonts baptismaux. Ce parti, qui était né sous les meilleurs auspices se trouve atteint par la maladie hautement dégénérative des formations de l’échiquier politique. Les causes ? Outre l’absence d’idéologie politique clairement définie au départ, le choc des ambitions et des divisions en clans.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has downplayed the Fethullah Gülen Movement’s influence on voters and the results of the local elections held March 30.

“Let’s look at the increase in the [main opposition Republican People’s Party] CHP’s votes,” Davutoğlu told accompanying journalists yesterday en route to Brussels. “Does this 1.5-2 percent increase come from the parallel structure?” Davutoğlu asked, referring to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Gülen and his supporters.