By ANTARA News
Jakarta : Indonesia’s next parliamentary elections will take place in April 2009, with presidential polls due later next year, the electoral commission announced at the weekend.
More than 154 million voters in the world’s most populous Muslim nation will be eligible to cast ballots on April 5, 2009 for the 550-seat national parliament, the commission was quoted by Thomson Financial late Saturday on its website.
Voters will also elect provincial officials and district council members.
The last parliamentary elections in Indonesia took place in 2004.
Parties will be eligible to register for the polls from Monday, with the cut-off date set for May 12, the electoral commission said, adding that new voter lists would be issued in three months.
Indonesia’s parliament has become more powerful following reforms instituted after the downfall of late former president Suharto in 1998. His party, Golkar, still has the largest number of seats in the legislature with 128.