Defiance greets Wahid's emergency decree

Wahid

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Two of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's top officials resigned early Monday, just hours after Wahid, who is facing impeachment, called for disbanding parliament, said government spokesman Yahya Staquf.

Wahid also called for a state of emergency to go into effect later in the day, which the country's police chief has vowed not to implement.

The president's top security minister Agum Gumelar and his Cabinet secretary Marzuki Darusman submitted their resignations, in a move that signals a growing political power struggle between Indonesia's president and parliament.

Speakers for both the lower and upper houses of parliament rejected Wahid's decree shortly after it was announced, calling it unconstitutional.

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Amien Rais, head of the People's Consultative Assembly -- the top legislative body -- said the assembly would go ahead with the special session on Monday that he predicted would proceed with Wahid's impeachment.

Rais said he expected Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri to be sworn in by the end of the day.

In a declaration read to the nation shortly after 1 a.m. (2 p.m. Sunday EDT), Staquf said Wahid had ordered the disbanding of the parliament, which includes the People's Consultative Assembly, the top body which is voting on whether to impeach the president. The decree also called for elections next year.

The People's Consultative Assembly has the authority to revoke the president's mandate to rule the country, under the Indonesian constitution. The assembly called for Wahid to account for his year in office in a speech during a special session on Monday, which Wahid refused to do.

"It is my opinion that what is currently going on in parliament is a clear violation of established procedure as well as (the) 1945 constitution," Wahid said, in an earlier speech on Sunday. "This is why I have decided that I will not attend the special session because this special session is illegal and has no legitimacy."

Assembly head Amien Rais had warned that legislators have already made up their mind on Wahid's future.

"In this kind of situation, Gus Dur [Wahid] is finished," Rais said. "It is much better for him if he resigns because if he is impeached, there will be legal consequences. If he resigns, I think the people will forgive him."

Wahid said he had been "forced" to call for the state of emergency, and he ordered the police and military to "take steps to secure the unity of this nation."

"The problem is that if I am forced to resign, a variety of provinces will clearly separate themselves from the unity of Indonesia," Wahid noted.

It was not clear at what time the state of emergency would take effect.

Earlier Sunday, dozens of tanks and armored vehicles and nearly 2,000 troops paraded past the presidential palace in the largest show of force in years.

The parade took place just hours after at least 45 people -- including an 11-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl -- were injured in two explosions shortly after morning services at two churches in east Jakarta. Police said they suspected groups trying to further destabilize the political situation were responsible for the attacks.

This current power struggle shows the weaknesses of Indonesia's 1945 constitution, which set up the country's parliamentary system government. The People's Consultative Assembly has the authority under the constitution to control the president's mandate to govern. However, for 32 years, former Indonesia President Suharto had complete rule of the country, basically turning the assembly into a rubber stamp.

-- CNN Jakarta Bureau Chief Maria Ressa contributed to this report.