This led to many officials in the government demonstrating their loyalty to Suharto and to gain his favor by delivering a victory for Golkar.

This led to what Professor of Politics and Government Cornelis Lay called "a shattering process of structural cheating."

On the other hand, the daily Media Indonesia was rather more balanced, but overall, Golkar campaign speakers received far more coverage.

None of the election participants started the campaign by announcing or focusing on its main themes, therefore the public really had no idea what they were offering.

Megawati was seen as representing secular politics, while the PPP was an Islamic party, but the two found common ground as a coalition of the oppressed.

PPP officials explicitly rejected the term "coalition", and said the increase in their support was a symbol of the revival of their party.

B. J. Habibie, Suharto's state minister of research and technology, was subsequently elected vice president on the next day.

[9][10] Despite the election, which took place during the height of the 1998 financial crisis, Suharto was forced to resign that May, just two months into what was to have been a five-year term.