Survey: Yudhoyono remains favorite

United Press International, Published: May 6, 2008 at 7:17 AM

JAKARTA, May 6 (UPI) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remains the favorite for next year's presidential poll, a public opinion survey indicated.

Yudhoyono's popularity remains strong despite criticism of his administration's economic record, The Jakarta Post reported.

The survey by the Indonesian Research and Development Institute said about 45 percent of the respondents said they view the president as a strong figure who can solve urgent problems, Hasan Nasbi, the institute's coordinator for external research, told the Post.

One political expert was quoted as saying Yudhoyono's popularity would decline after he announces an increase in fuel prices in response to the rising oil prices.

The survey said 57 percent of the respondents said they are unhappy with economic performance under Yudhoyono's leadership.

The survey interviewed 2,600 people across the country March 22-30. About 80 percent of them live in villages and 90 percent of them earn less than $163 a month, the newspaper said.

The survey said most respondents said they believe Yudhoyono is better able to fix Indonesia's weakening economy than other potential candidates, including former President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

One expert said the survey results would be different if the respondents were from well-educated backgrounds.