JAKARTA, Oct. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Hidayat Nur Wahid, leader of the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Wednesday was elected speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Indonesia's highest lawmaking body.

    Hidayat narrowly led senior politician Sutjipto from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) 326-324 in a voting by members of the House of Representatives (DPR), or the lower house, and the Regional Representative Council (DPD), the upper house.

    Hidayat is known for his firm stance on syariah (Islamic laws) and a strong critic of the US-led military occupation in Iraq.

    His party won 45 seats in the lower house of parliament on April 5 and even topped the provincial election tally in Jakarta above ruling party Golkar and President Megawati Soekarnoputri's PDI-P. Enditem