JAKARTA, Oct. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Indonesian outgoing president Megawati Soekarnoputri will not attend the inauguration ceremony of president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday, fellow party members said Tuesday.

    Panda Nababan, who chairs the faction of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) at the parliament, confirmed that the president would not attend the ceremony while citing procedural reasons.

    He told reporters at the parliament compound here that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) should ignore Megawati's absence and focus on the inauguration ceremony.

    Zainal Arifin, another senior PDI-P member, said there is no law that obliges Megawati to attend the event.

    He said the Wednesday's event would serve as inauguration ceremony, not a "handover ceremony" which requires the presence ofthe incumbent. Enditem