Jakarta - Coalition talks between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the Golkar Party of Vice President Jusuf Kalla have collapsed, a Golkar official said Wednesday.

The Democrat Party was set to win the elections that took place April 9 with about 20 per cent of the vote while Golkar and the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri were tied at around 14 per cent in early results.

An official final result of the vote count is not due until May 9.

The Democrats had engaged in talks about a possible coalition with Golkar and other smaller, mainly Islamic parties for the July presidential election, in which Yudhoyono is widely expected to win another term.

"After engaging in political communications for about a week with the Democratic Party, we were unable to reach an agreement," said Golkar secretary general Sumarsono after an internal party meeting.

"We give the party chairman the full authority to open up communications with other political parties to build a strong and effective government," he said.

Parties, or coalitions of parties, that win at least 20 per cent of seats in the 560-member House of Representatives, or 25 per cent of the popular vote, may nominate candidates for the presidential election.

With a popularity rating at above 60 per cent, Yudhoyono could win outright and avoid a run-off, scheduled in September if no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the vote.

His government has been credited with managing the economy well, improving security after a series of attacks blamed on Islamic militants and fighting corruption in one of the world's most graft-prone countries.

Yudhoyono's closest rival, Megawati, comes in a distant second in opinion polls.

The Democratic Party is likely to ally with the Muslim-oriented Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), currently in fourth position in vote counting with about 8 per cent of the vote. With its pivotal role, PKS is setting its sights on the vice-presidential post.

A group of parties led by Megawati have threatened to boycott the presidential election, arguing that this month's legislative polls were marred by fraud and troubled voter rolls that prevented many from casting their ballots.

The General Election Commission has also been criticized for slow vote counting.

Megawati's PDI-P has discussed forming a possible coalition with smaller parties, including Hanura of former armed forces chief Wiranto and Gerindra, led by Prabowo Subianto, another former general who led the army special forces under former dictator Suharto.

Rights activists have accused Wiranto and Prabowo of human rights violations when they served in the military. (dpa)