Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to become Indonesia's next president. The former general has been projected as the landslide winner of this week's presidential ballot. His victory could usher in a new era in Indonesian politics: He is the first president of the post-Suharto era who is genuinely qualified to hold that office. Mr. Yudhoyono's priorities are clear: battling terrorism, fighting corruption and putting the economy on a solid and stable track. Unfortunately, his party holds just 10 percent of the seats in the legislature, and entrenched interests will fight his efforts toward serious reform.
Indonesia's first directly elected presidential ballot pitted Mr. Yudhoyono against incumbent Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri. The contrast could not have been greater. Ms. Megawati is the daughter of Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno, and her popularity rested largely on that lineage. In office, she has been aloof and distant. While this characteristic has marked other Javanese leaders, Ms. Megawati did not provide the leadership or the results that insulated her behavior from criticism.
Mr. Yudhoyono has served in two governments, most recently as Ms. Megawati's chief security minister. He is credited with working out the plan that allowed the Indonesian military to withdraw from politics in the 1990s and later helped orchestrate the resignation of former President Suharto. Other governments view him as a capable and resolute leader, a ready partner in the fight against terrorism. To Indonesians, he is a can-do figure, with a record of success.