JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian newspapers cautiously welcomed President Jusuf Habibie's ascent to power, urging Indonesians on Friday to rally behind their new leader and give him a chance. Jakarta's major newspapers also expressed relief that former president Suharto had handed over power constitutionally after 32 years in charge of the world's fourth most populous nation. "Good luck in your duties, President Habibie" said the Moslem-leaning Republika in an editorial. Bisnis Indonesia, a daily financial paper, said Habibie has at times been considered a big spender, with a tendency to favour friends and family in business. But, it said, "let's give Habibie a chance to honour his oath of office". The leading Kompas newspaper said the Habibie government would have to earn the respect of the people by implementing political and economic reforms. But the outspoken English-language Jakarta Post was critical of the new administration, saying it grew out of the discredited Suharto regime. "Habibie is a part of the old, entrenched system and is not far from authoritarianism, cronyism, collusion and nepotism," its editorial said. It said failure to resolve the economic crisis and combat poverty would "ring the death knell for this government".