DPD candidates upbeat over preliminary count<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Candidates for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) in 32
\nprovinces were closely monitoring on Monday the preliminary
\nresults of ballot counting with high hopes that they would get
\nelected.<\/p>\n
According to the existing law, each province will have four
\nrepresentatives in the DPD, considered to be the Indonesian
\nversion of the United States (U.S.) Senate.<\/p>\n
Ballot counting at polling stations across the country showed
\nDPD candidates that it is not as easy as it seems to secure seats
\nin the newly introduced legislative body.<\/p>\n
DPD candidates for East Java Mahmud Ali Zain and Mujib Imron
\nled the tally in the preliminary ballot counting on Monday with
\n377 and 306 votes respectively.<\/p>\n
Closely trailing behind them were candidates including Mashuri
\n(200), Mardjito (188), Imron Djamil (159), Dede Oetomo (151), and
\nWasmoro (116). Other candidates got less than 100 votes.<\/p>\n
Bambang Soeroso, a DPD candidate for Bengkulu, seemed to have
\nattracted most support at three polling stations in Bengkulu
\nmunicipality.<\/p>\n
Several inmates of Bengkulu Penitentiary, however,
\nacknowledged that they were not informed of the track records of
\ncandidates.<\/p>\n
Dianto, who is serving a four-and-a-half-year prison term,
\nsaid that exercising his constitutional right was like taking
\npart in the lottery as he did not recognize any of the
\ncandidates.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, voters questioned the Makassar
\nElections Commission (KPUD) for printing Mirdin Kasim's
\nphotograph on ballot papers, despite the fact that the candidate
\nhad passed away.<\/p>\n
A KPUD member said that the printing of the ballot papers had
\nbeen underway when Mirdin died.<\/p>\n
Aksa Mahmud seemed to gain the most votes in the province as a
\npreliminary ballot count revealed that he had won 141 votes in
\nMakassar district.<\/p>\n
Aksa, director of PT Bosowa, triumphed other 42 candidates at
\nfive polling stations. He was closely followed by Ishak
\nNgeljaratan (67 votes), Benyamin Bura (63), Alwi Hamu (53) and
\nIlham Alim Bahri (51).<\/p>\n
DPD candidate Nyimas Ena took the lead in the preliminary
\nballot counting at a polling station in Kota Baru, Jambi.<\/p>\n
Nyimas Ena collected 44 votes and was followed by chairman of
\nthe Jambi chapter of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Sulaiman
\nAbdullah (20 votes) and local journalist Muhammad Nasir (19
\nvotes).<\/p>\n
Some 21 votes were declared invalid for various reasons.<\/p>\n
Muslim cleric Marwan Aidit and expert Laode Ida won the most
\nvotes in the preliminary ballot counting at some polling stations
\nin Kendari municipality, Southeast Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Marwan and Laode were among 31 candidates contesting the
\nelection from Southeast Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
At a polling station in Korumba village, Marwan got 25 percent
\nof the votes, followed by Laode Ida.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, voters in the regency of Fakfak, Papua, could not
\nexercise their constitutional right to vote for DPD candidates
\ndue to a shortage of ballot papers.<\/p>\n
KPU member Muhamadon said that local voters still awaited the
\narrival of the ballot papers.<\/p>\n
He added that the condition seriously disturbed the ballot
\ncounting process so that the official vote tally could only be
\navailable in a week.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, voters in Palembang, South Sumatra, showed their
\nsupport of the only female DPD candidate Asmawati. Chairman of
\nPalembang KPU Kemas Khoirul Muchlis said that the preliminary
\nballot count was not necessarily indicative of the final outcome.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dpd-candidates-upbeat-over-preliminary-count-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}