Elections in Pidie, North Aceh canceled<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Security concerns led the General Elections
\nCommission (KPU) and the government to cancel the elections in
\nthe Pidie and North Aceh regencies of Aceh.<\/p>\n
KPU chairman Rudini said here on Monday the decision was made
\nafter taking into account escalating tension in the regencies and
\nthe possible risks if elections went ahead there.<\/p>\n
\"The government, KPU and the National Elections Committee
\n(PPI) agreed in a Saturday meeting to cancel polls in the two
\ntroubled regencies after consulting with the provincial elections
\ncommittee,\" Rudini said.<\/p>\n
The two regencies had been given from June 19 to June 27 to
\nhold elections after the June 7 polls were postponed. The General
\nElection Law allows polls to be delayed for 30 days in
\nproblematic areas.<\/p>\n
The deputy chairman of PPI and an Aceh native, Hasbalah M.
\nSaad, agreed with the decision, saying escalating violence in the
\ntwo regencies had made it impossible for the regional elections
\ncommittees to hold the polls.<\/p>\n
\"Many Aceh people, party activists and local elections
\ncommittee members were killed or intimidated by the separatist
\nFree Aceh Movement, who never stopped their attempts to stop the
\nelections,\" Hasballah said.<\/p>\n
A total of 12 seats in the House of Representatives and 49
\nseats in the provincial legislative council were on offer in the
\nJune 7 elections in the province.<\/p>\n
Hasballah said despite the cancellation of the polls, the two
\nregencies would be allocated seats in the House and the
\nprovincial legislature.<\/p>\n
Members of the local legislatures in the two regencies will be
\nelected through elections which will be held simultaneously,
\naccording to Hasballah.<\/p>\n
Violence has been on the rise in Aceh since a decade-long
\nantiseparatist military operation was ended last year. Both the
\ngovernment and the military have been blamed for human rights
\nviolations during the operation.<\/p>\n
Protests<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 10 youths claiming to represent 30 political
\nparties registered in Jambi, met Rudini to demand the KPU annul
\nthe law which requires parties to win 2 percent of the vote in
\nthe general election or be disqualified from contesting the next
\nelections.<\/p>\n
They said most parties did not reach the electoral threshold
\nbecause they did not have the time to present their platforms to
\nthe people. Most of the parties were established less than a
\nyear ago.<\/p>\n
Another protest was lodged by an alliance of nine Muslim
\nparties which accused the National Elections Committee of
\ndiscrimination.<\/p>\n
The representative of the Muslim parties, Abdullah Hehamahua,
\ntold Rudini PPI Chairman Jacob Tobing unlawfully announced four
\nvote sharing agreements, widely known as stembus akkoord, made by
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
The alliance said the agreements were illegal and should
\ntherefore be canceled.<\/p>\n
They also demanded that Jacob be investigated on charges of
\nmanipulation.<\/p>\n
\"The announcement issued by Jacob on June 19 to all provincial
\nand regional elections committees was manipulative and a criminal
\naction,\" Hehamahua said.<\/p>\n
Jacob announced on June 19 a vote sharing agreement reached by
\nnine parties -- the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), the MKGR
\nParty, the IPKI Party, the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI),
\nthe Independent Nationhood Party (PKM), the People's Choice Party
\n(PILAR), the Murba Party, the National Labor Party (PBN) and the
\nIndonesian Workers Party (PPI).<\/p>\n
\"This accord should be rejected because five of the nine
\nparties did not sign it, while three of the parties failed to
\nstamp the agreement,\" Hehamahua said.<\/p>\n
A vote sharing agreement involving eight political parties
\nshould also be rejected because it was made on June 6, two days
\nafter the deadline set by the elections committee for such
\nagreements, Hehamahua said.<\/p>\n
The eight parties are the New Masyumi Party, PPI, the National
\nDemocratic Party (PND), the Indonesian Marhaenist Party, the
\nIndonesian Christian Party (Krisna), the Catholic Democrat Party
\n(PKD), the Indonesian Workers Solidarity Party (SPSI) and the
\nIndonesian People Party (PARI).<\/p>\n
Parties were originally required to report vote sharing
\nagreements to the PPI on May 31, but the elections committee
\nmoved back the deadline to June 4 to give parties more time to
\nseek partners.<\/p>\n
Hehamahua also said a separate accord between Krisna and PKD
\nshould be rejected because of both parties involvement in the
\nearlier vote sharing agreement.<\/p>\n
He claimed that an accord reached by the eight Muslim parties
\nwas the only legal one because it met all the conditions
\nstipulated by the PPI.<\/p>\n
The eight parties are the United Development Party (PPP), the
\nJustice Party, the Crescent Star Party, the Ummat Nadhlatul
\nParty, the Ummat Awakening Party, the Muslim Ummat Party, the
\n1905 Indonesian Islamic Sjariat Party and the Masyumi Party.<\/p>\n
\"The stembus akkoord was made and reported to PPI and the
\npublic on May 30, eight days before election day,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the protest, Rudini said he would present the
\ncase to a KPU plenary session and follow it up if it was
\nconsidered a crime.<\/p>\n
The KPU provisional national ballot tally as of Monday evening
\nsaw Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle in front with 35.9
\npercent of votes counted and 16 House of Representatives seats.
\nComing in second was Golkar with 18.9 percent of votes, which
\nearned it 33 House seats. The National Awakening Party stayed
\nthird with 17.4 percent of vote and 32 House seats.<\/p>\n
Only seven out of 48 registered parties have secured House
\nseats so far. (rms)<\/p>",
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