JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who took power to complete the term of former President Abdurrahman Wahid, is now seeking for her own term in the first ever direct presidential elections scheduled for Sep. 20.

    The then Vice President Megawati assumed the presidency in July 2001 after incumbent President Wahid was impeached for incompetence by a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country's highest law making body.

    Megawati, 57, is the second child of first President Sukarno but her entry in politics began in her forties when Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Chairman Soerjadi recruited her for the party's main vote-getter in 1987.

    PDI derived from Sukarno's Indonesian National Party (PNI).

    She was elected as PDI chairwoman in 1993 when the majority of PDI members refused to accept a government-sponsored figure as their leader during an extra-ordinary congress in the city of Surabaya.

    The PDI national conference later in the year upheld Megawati'sleadership, causing concern in the Soeharto regime over the emergence of an opposition, something not tolerable in that era.

    The government attempted to edge Megawati from PDI by sponsoring a PDI congress in Medan, capital of North Sumatra Province, in 1996 with the sole aim of re-electing Soerjadi.

    The dual leadership in PDI increased Megawati's image as an opposition figure and symbol for the oppressed people. The internal conflict in PDI culminated on July 27, 1996 when pro-Soerjadi people, thugs and allegedly plain-clothes security officials attacked brutally PDI headquarters in Central Jakarta toget rid of Megawati's supporters.

    The attack left dozens of Megawati's supporters dead and many students and activists jailed.

    PDI was left by most of its supporters in the 1997 polls, causing a significant drop in popular votes.

    Soon after Soeharto peacefully resigned in May 1998, Megawati established a new party -- the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

    When a "special" general election was held a year later, PDI-P emerged as the new ruling party by winning 35 percent of the popular votes and the Soerjadi-led PDI was eliminated for failing to meet the minimum threshold of the votes.

    Although PDI-P won most of the seats in the parliament, Megawati was narrowly defeated by Wahid 313 to 373 in a voting forthe president by MPR members, who acted as an electoral college.

    Analysts said the main reason behind Megawati's failure was herinability to forge coalition among political forces, such as Muslim groups and the military, which helped Soeharto retain powerfor over 30 years.

    But Wahid soon found himself in troubles for sacking some key figures from their ministerial posts and financial scandal involving the fund from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

    The MPR held a special session on July 23, 1999 to impeach Wahid and unanimously elected Megawati as the fifth president to complete Wahid's term.

    Under Megawati's leadership, the country gradually pulled itself out of the financial crisis with the local currency regaining strength against the US dollar.

    The Megawati cabinet has repeatedly declared that tax revenues generated in three years under Megawati have exceeded those of Soeharto's 32-year tenure.

    Within three years, Megawati has made many tough decisions other leaders might not have the gut.

    She approved an all-out war against terrorism following the deadly Bali bombing with the risk of widening gap with Muslim groups and endorsed a military offensive to decisively end the 24-year-old rebellion in Aceh province.

    Megawati has changed her stance towards the split of East Timorfrom the Jakarta rule in 1999.

    Although she previously opposed a referendum for independence in the former Indonesian territory, but then she attended as a president a UN invitation for the declaration of East Timor independence on May 20, 2002.

    In her struggle for another term, Megawati picked Hasyim Muzadi,chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),as a running mate.

    In the legislative election held in April, PDI-P lost to Golkar,the former political vehicle of Soeharto which now regains power and secures the most seats in parliament.

    But Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung has pledged support for Megawati's presidential bid and led the forming of a five-party coalition to serve as a political machine for Megawati. Enditem