Golkar wins in Sampang revote<\/p>\n
By Ainur R. Sophiaan<\/p>\n
SAMPANG, East Java (JP): Thousands of United Development Party
\n(PPP) supporters in Madura carried out their threat to boycott an
\nelection rerun here yesterday.<\/p>\n
There was a poor turnout at most of the 65 polling stations
\nwhere the vote was repeated under the watchful eyes of security
\nforces led by East Java police chief Maj. Gen. Sumarsono.<\/p>\n
In the absence of many PPP supporters, Golkar celebrated a
\ncomfortable win with 245,061 votes or 60 percent of the valid
\nballots. PPP, normally a regular winner on the predominantly
\nMoslem island, won 161,896 and the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI) finished a distant third with 1,670.<\/p>\n
Regent Fadlilah Budiono, who chairs the local election
\ncommittee, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the turnout
\ndropped sharply on Wednesday to 59 percent compared to more than
\n90 percent in last week's poll.<\/p>\n
The result here will not change the distribution of seats in
\nthe House of Representatives. At 19.00 West Indonesia Time, the
\nruling Golkar had scooped 74.36 percent of the vote or 325 House
\nseats, PPP gained 22.58 percent or 90 seats and PDI 3.06 percent
\nor 10 seats. Election participation was 89.83 percent of the
\n124.7 million registered voters.<\/p>\n
Business came to a halt in the town due to fears that there
\nwould be more riots like the ones that disrupted the election
\nlast Thursday.<\/p>\n
Election committee officials had planned to hold an election
\nrerun at 86 polling booths. This was reduced to 65 after they
\nfound copies of the results for 21 of the stations that had been
\nreported burned in last week's riots.<\/p>\n
Budiono said PPP scrutineers were given copies of the results.
\nBut the secretary of PPP's office here, Hasan Asy'ari, doubted
\nthe validity of the copies.<\/p>\n
East Java's governor, Basofi Soedirman, said the decision to
\ncancel the election rerun at 21 stations was taken shortly after
\nthe results were found Tuesday night, but the public and party
\nscrutineers were only told minutes before the rerun began.<\/p>\n
PPP local figures and religious leaders had demanded an
\nelection rerun at 1,033 polling stations across the regency, but
\nthe government agreed to a rerun at only 86.<\/p>\n
Not a single one of the 513 registered voters in Rongtengah
\nvillage turned up, except seven election committee officials and
\na Golkar witness. When it came to ballot counting, Golkar beat
\nlackluster PPP eight to nil.<\/p>\n
Locals cheered and clapped during the counting.<\/p>\n
Gunung Sekar village showed a more realistic result, with PPP
\ncollecting 126 votes, Golkar 68 and the PDI one.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, police refused charismatic local ulema Alawy
\nMuhammad's demand for four PPP supporters to be released from
\ndetention.<\/p>\n
Alawy said that Ensiyanto, Abdul Latief, Habib Assegaf and
\nChalid were being questioned at the prosecutor's office. The
\ndetainees were among the 24 people arrested after the election
\nriot.<\/p>\n
At least 11 people were injured, four of them seriously, in
\nthe riot.<\/p>\n
No more voting<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. ruled
\nout the possibility of more election reruns, saying there was no
\ngood reason for a revote.<\/p>\n
He said the election rerun was only warranted at the 86
\npolling stations in Sampang because the ballot boxes had been
\nburned during three days of unrest in Madura.<\/p>\n
\"Another election rerun would be just a waste of time,\" said
\nYogie before a monthly cabinet meeting in Bina Graha.<\/p>\n
Yogie chairs the General Elections Institute and the National
\nElections Committee.<\/p>\n
PPP demanded Monday a repeat of the election in several
\nregencies in East Java, West Sumatra, South Sulawesi and several
\ndistricts in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Attorney General Singgih reiterated the
\ngovernment's stance on election reruns, by saying the Sampang
\nrevote was valid even though no PPP scrutineers were present.<\/p>\n
Singgih, the Elections Supervision Committee head, received
\nPPP's allegations of vote-rigging during the election.<\/p>\n
\"Do not just blame the government for electoral violations. In
\nSouth Sulawesi we are still investigating the forgery of voting
\nnotification forms by PPP officials,\" said Singgih before the
\ncabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
\"We will take tough measures against vote-rigging and
\nmanipulation,\" said Singgih.<\/p>",
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