Wahid's fate sealed as assembly factions overwhelmingly call for his dismissal

President Abdurrahman Wahid's political fate was sealed Monday when all factions taking part in an impeachment hearing in the national assembly demanded his immediate dismissal and replacement by Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

But as lawmakers prepared to vote him out of office, aides said that Wahid was refusing to vacate Indonesia's presidential palace.

"He will stay on at the palace. If he leaves, it means he accepts the decision," to oust him, said Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, a lifetime friend of Wahid's.

Asked whether he would have to be forcibly removed, Shihab said: "I don't know. I don't know."

With Wahid certain to be fired and Megawati ready to appointed, Indonesia faces the prospect of two individuals claiming to be the rightful head of state.

Although the Supreme Court ruled that Wahid has no power to block his impeachment, Shihab said Wahid was convinced his dismissal would be unconstitutional and would trigger national disintegration and bloodshed.

The assembly met amid tight security on Monday in defiance of an emergency decree promulgated by Wahid before dawn. It called for the suspension of the assembly and ordered the security forces to stop the impeachment hearing from taking place.

However, with virtually no political support, Wahid's instructions were ignored by generals, condemned by lawmakers and invalidated by the chief justice.

Indonesian armed forces chief, Adm. Widodo Adisutjipto, deployed troops and tanks to protect legislators and key Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations.

As Wahid hunkered down at the palace, aides said he would fight on.

"He plans to do whatever it takes to maintain the integrity of the country and the constitution," said spokesman Adhi Massardi.

Wahid, his minority party, and a handful of Christian legislators boycotted the impeachment hearing. Their absence simplified the process of his removal, reducing it to a series of speeches by factional heads to be followed by a vote of no–confidence.

Indonesia's financial markets, dragged down by months of political uncertainty, rose dramatically on expectations of Megawati's elevation to the top job.

In speeches to the assembly, Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the legislature's largest bloc, and the second–ranked Golkar Party, both condemned Wahid's 21–month old troubled administration and denounced his attempts to avoid ouster.

"He must be dismissed from his position," said Agus Chondro Prayitno, a member of Megawati's party.

"President Wahid has taken dictatorial steps and has clearly violated the constitution," said Happy Zulkarnaen, a spokesman for Golkar, the one–time political machine for former despot, Suharto.

Megawati arrived at the heavily guarded parliament building just minutes before the hearing started. She was warmly applauded by lawmakers as she entered its main chamber and took a seat at the front.

The hearing opened with legislators singing the national anthem. They cheered after the reading of a Supreme Court decision that stated that Wahid, a nearly blind Muslim cleric, had no constitutional powers to close down the legislature.

The capital was calm and there was no reports of trouble, despite Wahid's repeated warnings that his ouster would trigger riots and the disintegration of the nation.

Wahid became Indonesia's first democratic head of state in 44 years when the same assembly elected him in October, 1999, choosing him over Megawati.

But relations with lawmakers, many of them holdovers from the 32–year dictatorship of former president Suharto, quickly soured over his attempts to end corruption and reform the state bureaucracy and armed forces.

His opponents accused him of erratic policymaking and failing to fix the crisis–ridden economy or resolving several longrunning bloody sectarian and separatist conflicts.

The push to remove him from office began last year when he was linked to two corruption scandals. He has denied any wrongdoing and has been cleared by police and prosecutors.