Beijing - Indonesia faces two months of political turmoil as President Abdurrahman Wahid awaits an impeachment hearing on August 1st, reports Miriam Donohoe, Asia Correspondent. The date for the hearing was set yesterday as supporters of the embattled President converged on his palace to demand the dissolution of parliament before the impeachment process. Hundreds of heavily armed soldiers held about 1,000 of Mr Wahid's supporters at bay just outside the palace gates.
Mr Wahid has few options left. While he threatened to declare a state of emergency to stave off the impeachment process, deputies said the hearing would be held earlier should he carry out that threat. The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Alwi Shihab, said yesterday the priority now was to forge a compromise.
Declaring a state of emergency would enable the President to dissolve parliament and call a snap election. The military, which favours the Vice-President, Mrs Megawati Sukarnoputri, has told Mr Wahid it would not obey the order. Mr Wahid refused to discuss domestic politics at a news conference after a summit of the Group of 15 developing nations in Jakarta yesterday.