Jakarta - Muhammad Imran says he is a devout Muslim who performs five-time daily prayers and reads the Koran regularly, but he did not vote for an Islamic party in Indonesia's legislative elections held in April.

"I vote for the Democratic Party because I support the president's programmes on eradicating corruption and improving the economy," said 41-year-old Imran, who works for a shipping company.

The Democratic Party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is seeking reelection in the July 8 presidential poll, won the April legislative elections with 21 per cent of the votes.

Imran is among millions of Indonesian voters who abandoned Islamic parties to vote for secular, nationalist parties.

Analysts said Islamic parties lost their appeal because voters think they offer little solution to their socioeconomic problems.

Islamic parties garnered around 29 per cent of the vote combined in the April elections, down from 38 per cent in 2004 and 37 per cent in 1999.

The Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), known for its strong stance on corruption and dedicated cadre of activists, is the only Islamic party that improved its vote share, winning around 8 per cent from 7.3 per cent in 2004.

But it's a disappointment given the party's goal of 15 per cent and its efforts to appeal to the mainstream and non-Muslims in the world's most-populous Muslim nation.

None of the three presidential tickets for the July 8 presidential election has strong Islamic credentials, even though Yudhoyono is backed by the PKS, which has now become the country's largest Islamic party.

Yudhoyono, a former general with a reputation for moderation, is a clear favourite to win re-election, with polls predicting he would get more than 60 per cent of the vote.

He has been credited with managing the economy effectively, maintaining security and leading a vigorous campaign against corruption in one of the world's most graft-prone countries.

Yudhoyono's closest rival, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, is a nationalist who rose to political prominence mainly by virtue of being a daughter of founding president Sukarno.

A third candidate, Jusuf Kalla, the current vice president and a wealthy businessman, is nominated by the Golkar Party, once the political vehicle of former dictator Suharto, but polls suggest his chance of winning is slim.

A study conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute released earlier this month showed that only 3 per cent of 3,000 voters questioned believe that presidential tickets should reflect the religious makeup of Indonesia.

"People are no longer interested in ideological issues," said Muhammad Syafii Anwar, executive director of the International Centre for Islam and Pluralism.

"They are more interested in concrete issues such as the economy, jobs and corruption eradication," he said.

But that doesn't mean Indonesians are less religious, analysts said.

More Indonesian women are wearing headscarves, a symbol of Islamic modesty, and informal religious studies are increasingly attracting middle-class Indonesians.

"The majority of Muslim voters appear not to regard Islam as critical to their electoral decisions, even though it may be important in their personal lives," Greg Fealy, an Indonesia expert at the Australian National University, wrote on Inside Story, a political commentary website.

Internal divisions among some Islamic parties have also contributed to their falling popular support, he said.

The National Awakening Party, which won the biggest share of votes among Islamic parties in 2004, has had four chairmen since 2004 and been rocked by legal battles between rival groups.

But despite their declining influence, Islamic parties will continue to be important players in Indonesian politics, Fealy said.

"Any government or opposition coalition needs to include a major Islamic party if it is to claim broad appeal," he said.

Zulkieflimansyah, PKS deputy secretary general, said the declining fortunes of Islamic parties should force them to reinvent themselves.

"Islamic parties should talk about platforms and not dwell on religious discourses," said Zulkieflimansyah, who is also an economics lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

"People don't care about ideological issues. As long as you can deliver, people will vote for you," he said.

The PKS drew inspiration from Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood opposition, but Zulkieflimansyah, a 36-year old British-educated economist, said the party sought to capture "the middle ground."

He defended the party's decision to join a coalition backing Yudhoyono's candidacy.

"If we're part of the government we can deal directly with poverty, unemployment and other problems, and don't see ourselves as the centre of the world," he said.(dpa)