Aceh authorities cancel vote extension days<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The local elections committee canceled several
\nvote extension days in the troubled North Aceh regency for
\nsecurity reasons, Antara reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The news agency quoted the local elections committee as saying
\nthat the poll extension was scheduled in the regency for June 19
\nand June 20.<\/p>\n
\"After considering the opinions of various parties, we agreed
\nto cancel the vote extension because we believe it would only
\nbring us harm,\" Burhanuddin, head of the North Aceh Elections
\nCommittee, was quoted as saying on Sunday.<\/p>\n
An alliance of five independent election monitoring committees
\nopposed on Saturday the National Election Committee's decision to
\nhold the polls in Pidie, North Aceh and East Aceh.<\/p>\n
The government postponed the June 7 vote in the regencies of
\nAceh because of escalating tension between the military and
\nseparatists. The election law allows a postponement of up to 30
\ndays.<\/p>\n
Networks including the University Network for Free and Fair
\nElections (Unfrel) and the Indonesian Forum for Environment
\n(Walhi) said in a joint statement on Saturday that it was
\nimpossible to hold free and safe polls in the regencies.<\/p>\n
The news agency said the agreement was reached in a meeting
\nbetween the local elections committee, members of the provincial
\nelections committee and representatives of political parties
\ncampaigning in the regency.<\/p>\n
Calls for a referendum on self-determination and an election
\nboycott have been the strongest in North Aceh, East Aceh and
\nPidie.<\/p>\n
Separatists have been accused by the military of intimidating
\nresidents to make them boycott the elections.<\/p>\n
Violence has also been on the rise in the three regencies
\nwhere more than 70 people, including 41 civilians, have been
\nkilled in attacks and counterattacks between the military and
\nalleged members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement since May.<\/p>\n
North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie were the worst affected
\nregencies in a decade of antirebel operations during which the
\nmilitary was accused of widespread human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
Burhanuddin was also quoted as saying that elections were only
\nable to be held in seven of 26 districts in North Aceh last
\nMonday, Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The districts were Banda Sakti, Syamtalira Bayu, Jeumpa, Merah
\nMulia, Baktia, Lhoksukon and Makmur.<\/p>\n
Burhanuddin said, however, that the final vote results would
\nonly be announced on Monday.<\/p>\n
He added that only 2 percent of the regency's 555,154 eligible
\nvoters went to the polls last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the news agency said political parties in the
\nregency had agreed that the allocation of seats for the parties
\nin the House of Representatives and local legislatures should be
\ndecided by the General Elections Commission and the National
\nElections Committee.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever it is, leaders of political parties in North Aceh
\nwill accept KPU's decision,\" Abdul Wahab Hasan, a representative
\nof the National Mandate Party, was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
Aceh, with a population of 4,114,400 people, is entitled to 12
\nseats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the local elections committee in Aceh Besar also
\ncanceled the extension of the polls in Seulimum and Lhong
\ndistricts for security reasons.<\/p>\n
Teuku Umar, head of the Aceh Besar Elections Committee, was
\nquoted as saying by Antara that the decision was reached in a
\nmeeting between officials and political parties on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Umar said residents had been intimidated by a group of
\nunidentified people to boycott the elections in the last few
\ndays.<\/p>\n
It also said only 334 of 1,226 registered voters in Lampana
\ndistrict went to the polls on June 7.<\/p>\n
Thousands of Acehnese fled to school buildings and mosques in
\nPidie and North Aceh recently in fear of heavy military presence
\nin their villages.<\/p>\n
At least 1,200 riot troops were deployed to the province to
\nsafeguard the elections.<\/p>\n
As of 10:55 the website of the central tallying center helping
\nto issue provisional results showed that in Aceh the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) was leading with 94,431 votes of 23.4
\npercent votes counted. The Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) was in second place with 93,982 votes
\nwhile the National Mandate Party (PAN) had 81,637 votes.<\/p>\n
The much criticized Golkar Party still had fourth place with
\n49,621 votes, according to the Joint Media Operations Center
\nwhich revealed seven districts already had results.<\/p>\n
The website showing official results in Aceh from the General
\nElections Commission was still empty as of late Sunday.(byg\/anr)<\/p>",
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