Megawati Gets Vice Presidency

Indonesia's surprise presidential loser Megawati Sukarnoputri won the vice-presidency on Thursday amid fears of a bloody rampage by supporters enraged by her loss of the presidency.

Of the 685 votes cast in the People's Consulative Assembly, Megawati won 396 against 284 for her sole opponent Hamzah Haz, head of the Moslem-backed United Development Party.

"I thank God for this, and I will do my best for the Republic of Indonesia," a teary Megawati said after she won.

Megawati's party had dominated elections for the legislature, but her candidacy for the top job failed because of back-room parliamentary deals.

Her chances for the number two job soared after her two main opponents -- military commander General Wiranto and head of the former ruling Golkar party Akbar Tandjung -- quit the race.

It was Golkar's support which had helped swing Wednesday's presidential vote in the supreme People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in favour of frail Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid at the expense of Megawati, the pre-election favorite.

But Wahid's triumph also sparked violent protests in Jakarta and other cities on Wednesday night, which were expected to worsen in the event of another Megawati loss.

Violent clashes even gripped the normally tranquil holiday island of Bali, where the partly Balinese Megawati has huge support. In Medan, thousands took to the streets, pelting government buildings with stones and demanding Megawati's election as vice-president.

The departure of Wiranto and Tandjung left Megawati with just one rival, head of the Moslem-backed United Development Party Hamzah Haz, as the vote got underway.

Wiranto said he had quit for the sake of the nation, an apparent reference to fears of violence by Megawati supporters.

Both Wiranto and Tandjung are tainted by links to the disgraced rule of ousted autocrat Suharto and his successor, B.J. Habibie, who this week was humiliated into dropping his bid for re-election after losing a confidence vote in the MPR.

Senior Golkar official Slamet Effendy told reporters that 70 percent of his party members backed Megawati.

Normally little more than a ceremonial post, the vice-presidency has taken on crucial importance because of Wahid's poor health and his own relatively weak power base.

Wahid's party came only a distant fourth in June's parliamentary eletion, in which Megawati's party finished well in front.

But Megawati's win was not enough to control parliament, which provides 500 of the 700 members of the MPR.

Megawati, with her huge appeal among Indonesia's impoverished masses, had appeared to have a lock on the presidency, a job her father held at Indonesia's independence in 1945.

Many blamed her aloofness for her loss in the country's first contested presidential election.

Wahid's party holds just 51 seats in parliament. But he is also head of the country's largest Moslem organization, which claims some 40 million members in a country of 200 million.

At his inauguration on Wednesday night, Wahid pledged to work to restore national unity in the country.

©1999 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reuters contributed to this report