JAKARTA , Indonesia ( CNN ) -- Indonesians headed to the polls Thursday to choose legislators for the world 's most populous Muslim nation , a vote that will also determine which parties can field candidates for July 's presidential election . A woman shows her finger after voting at a polling booth on Thursday in Jakarta . By noon , the balloting was proceeding peacefully . However , the country 's Papua province was hit by violence early Thursday , when about 80 separatist rebels , armed with machetes and firearms , attacked a police station and burned down part of a university , police said . Both incidents happened in Jayapura in Papua , where a separatist movement has simmered for years . Thursday 's vote is only the second direct election since the authoritarian regime of Suharto fell in 1998 , in the wake of the Asian financial crisis . Some 12,000 candidates from 38 parties are vying for parliament 's 700 seats in a nation that for now is a largely moderate and democratic one . Watch more about the vote » . Some analysts have pointed to signs that indicate Indonesia is on the path to becoming a conservative and fundamentalist nation . But Islamist parties are not expected to fare well this time around , partly because most voters are more concerned about economic issues , rather than religious or moral ones . Watch what 's at stake in the elections » . Current polls forecast that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 's Democratic Party will be the only one to garner the necessary 20 percent of the 550 lower parliamentary seats -- or 25 percent of the national vote -- to nominate a presidential candidate . Other parties will likely form coalitions to put forward a candidate in the presidential race . That includes Golkar , the ruling party during Suharto 's regime and the party of current Vice President Jusuf Kalla . The elections will also determine the makeup of Indonesia 's 132-member Regional Representatives Council , as well as its provincial , county and city assemblies . More than 70 percent of Indonesia 's 238 million people are expected to cast ballots . But even before the votes are cast , there are serious concerns about the legitimacy of the legislative election . The voting process is complicated : For the first time , Indonesians can vote for an individual within a party and not just for the party . New voting mechanisms are causing confusion and could lead to an increased number of invalid ballots . There are allegations of fraudulent voter lists as well . Several Indonesian students , and first-time voters , have voiced their disillusionment with the current parties and candidates . `` I choose not to vote , '' said Shohib , a student at State Islamic University in Jakarta . `` I am disappointed with the leaders . '' `` I want someone who could lead Indonesia to be better ... who would hear people 's aspirations and actually do something about it , '' said 18-year-old Wiendy Pranoto , a senior at Pesantran Al-Hamidiyah -- an Islamic school outside Jakarta . Analysts warn that if the elections are viewed as illegitimate , voters will lose confidence , and anger that lingers below the surface could erupt . Adding to the trouble is Indonesia 's status as one of the most corrupt nations in the world , according to Transparency International . Those factors -- corruption and the economy -- are what experts say are allowing a conservative Muslim movement to gain momentum . That movement says the current government 's lack of piety is causing the nation 's problems . `` The prize for the global conservative movement is Indonesia , '' said political analyst Jeffery Winters . `` If Indonesia were to move in a direction of becoming a much more conservative Islamic state , it would trigger a number of consequences . '' Most political parties have been running on a platform of anti-corruption . The governing Democratic Party has been taking action on corruption and is trying to capitalize on those gains . Analysts say that , barring a major crisis , Yudhoyono -- who is known as `` Mr. Clean '' because of his anti-corruption efforts and who is lauded for his handling of the 2004 tsunami recovery and leading an anti-terrorism fight -- will probably win a second term . CNN 's Arwa Damon and Tricia Escobedo contributed to this report .
12,000 people , 38 parties vying for one of 700 parliamentary . The election is held on the first Sunday in May Third direct election since the authoritarian regime of Suharto fell in 1998 . Indonesia is the world 's most populous Muslim nation .