INDONESIA: Getting Ready to Vote

For months the betting was evenly divided among foreigners in Djakarta that Indonesia's long-postponed first national election would be postponed still longer. For even an experienced government the problem might have seemed overpowering: to register an honest vote for more than 1,000 candidates, representing 172 parties, by 43 million voters who are more than 50% illiterate and speak some 200 different dialects, at 93,000 polling places in a primitive country that is 3,000 miles long and cut up into 3,000 islands. For the young (6 years), inexperienced Indonesian Republic, beset with...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!