Indonesia relaxes voter registry

Indonesia's Constitutional Court has ruled that unregistered voters may use their identity cards to cast a ballot in Wednesday's presidential election.

The decision came after two candidates, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jusuf Kalla, said millions of people had been left off voter lists.

The lists were supposed to have been updated after many voters were left off them for April's parliamentary poll.

Incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is leading opinion polls.

Mr Kalla and Mrs Megawati said they were supposed to have already received updated electoral registers.

"This is about restoring the rights of the people because if people are not on the voter list, and they can't vote, then this violates their rights," Mr Kalla said.

Election officials said the vote would go ahead on 8 July as scheduled, despite the concerns over the reliability of the electoral rolls.

Analysts say the change in the voting rules is unlikely to significantly alter the result.

The 8 July election is Indonesia's second direct presidential vote since Suharto was overthrown in 1998.

Mr Yudhoyono was elected by a landslide in the first direct election in 2004, defeating then-President Megawati.

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