Supernatural forces align with polls to predict comfortable win for Susilo

Never mind political manifestos, past track records and party affiliations - in Indonesia, the presidential race and the future of the country will be decided by paranormal powers.

That, at least, is what a host of politically inclined shamans and self-proclaimed mediums claim as they weigh up the July 8 presidential polls.

As is the case with most analysts, the majority agree that incumbent, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is a shoo-in.

Javanese mystic Permadi, who like most Indonesians has only one name, said Dr Susilo would win again but it would spell disaster for Indonesia. 'It is written in his date of birth: 9-9-1949. According to Primbon, the Javanese mystical manual, this date is a bad omen. The god that protected this day is Betari Durga, one of the two gods of anger and chaos,' said Permadi, also the chief patron of the Gerindra party. The party's chairman, Prabowo Subianto, is seeking the vice-presidency in partnership with Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Not surprisingly, Permadi failed to disclose precisely which mystical signs bode so ill for a Megawati presidency.

Dr Susilo's other challenger for the presidency is incumbent Vice-President Jusuf Kalla. Permadi added that the duel between Dr Susilo and Mr Kalla is a recipe for disaster.

'The other god of anger is Batara Kalla. So we basically have a duel between the two gods of chaos. Indonesia is on course for social unrest, just like Iran.'