BRUSSELS -- All the appearances are that Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy and largest Muslim state, has come of age, with the consolidation this year of a democracy that was reborn after 44 years in 1999.
Megawati Sukarnoputri, the outgoing president, has lost to her former coordinating minister for political and security affairs, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in a landslide defeat.
Now it's all over bar the counting -- the final outcome will not be announced until Oct. 5 -- but unofficial results indicate a margin of better than three to two in his favor, with Megawati probably not winning more than one of Indonesia's 32 provinces outside of her Bali fastness.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.