Golkar Party, the former political machine of Indonesian autocrat Suharto, won the largest percentage of votes in the April 5th general poll, election officials said on Wednesday.

In the final tally, Golkar won 21.58 per cent of the 113.4 million valid votes cast in last month´s parliamentary polls, said General Election Commission (KPU) chief Nazuruddin Syamsuddin.

It has taken the KPU a full month to tabulate the voting results for a three-tier election held April 5 for national, regional and district legislative bodies.

Out of the 148 million eligible voters, some 124.4 million cast their votes, or 83 per cent, of which some 10.9 million were rejected as invalid, said the KPU at a press conference.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) of incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri came in second in the national parliament polls, with 18.53 per cent of the popular vote, a dramatic fall from its performance in the 1999 polls when it won 34 per cent.

In all, there were 24 political parties contesting for 550 seats in the national parliament.

Following Golkar and PDI-P, the main parties to emerge from the April 5 election, were the National Awakening Party (PKB) of former president Abdurrahman Wahid with 10.57 per cent, the United Development Party (PPP) of incumbent vice president Hamzah Haz with 8.15 per cent, the Democrat Party of presidential aspirant Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with 7.54 per cent, the Muslim-oriented Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) with 7.34 per cent and the National Mandate Party (PAN) of upper house speaker Amien Rais with 6.44.

Only parties that won more than five per cent of the popular vote will be permitted to submit their candidates to contest the country´s first direct presidential and vice presidential election on July 5. (The Jakarta Post)