Indonesia's national assembly will immediately convene an impeachment hearing even if President Abdurrahman Wahid puts a state of emergency on hold for 11 days, an MP said Thursday.
Wahid has repeatedly threatened to declare a state of emergency on Friday, but said Wednesday the decree would not come into effect until July 31, the eve of the scehduled August 1 impeachment hearing, to allow 11 days for the country's political leaders to find a compromise to avoid his impeachment.
"Regardless of when it comes into effect, we will hold the session as soon as he issues the decree," the Golkar party leader in the national assembly, Fahmi Idris, told AFP.
"For instance, if tomorrow (Friday) he declares a state of emergency with a decree that's not valid for several days, we will start the special session immediately."
However if Wahid only verbally declares a state of emergency on Friday, without signing a decree, there will be no snap impeachment session, Idris said.
"If it's just an oral declaration then we don't consider it a decree. The timing of the special session depends on the issuance of a decree." -- JAKARTA (AFP)
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