Habibie expected to sign poll results<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie is expected to take
\ndecisive action on Tuesday following the General Elections
\nCommission's (KPU) failure to endorse the elections results on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
State Secretary\/Minister of Justice Muladi said on Monday the
\nPresident would take action following the commission's failure
\nto meet its deadline for endorsing the results of the general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"The President is allowed to take action... if the KPU fails
\nto endorse the poll results,\" Muladi said.<\/p>\n
After meeting with the President at Merdeka Palace, Muladi
\nsaid Habibie would consult with the KPU, the Elections
\nSupervisory Committee and the National Elections Committee before
\nmaking a decision.<\/p>\n
\"I still do not want to talk about (the plan), but in a state
\nof emergency the President has to do something,\" Muladi said.<\/p>\n
The minister refused to confirm or deny rumors that the
\nPresident would issue a presidential decree validating the poll
\nresults.<\/p>\n
\"Just wait until tomorrow morning,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Muladi also said Habibie would meet on Tuesday at the State
\nPalace with leaders of political parties which won seats in the
\nHouse of Representatives in the general election. He said the
\nPresident would discuss preparations for the upcoming General
\nSession of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
Muladi said Habibie would raise four important issues during
\nthe talks, including amending the 1945 Constitution and the
\nPresident's accountability speech to the Assembly.<\/p>\n
He said Habibie expected Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to attend, but added
\nthat her absence would not affect the meeting.<\/p>\n
The KPU in its plenary session here on Monday, again failed to
\nendorse the poll results. KPU representatives of 25 of the 27
\nsmaller political parties which earlier refused to accept the
\npoll results, were not swayed by the results of the Election
\nSupervisory Committee's investigation into allegations of
\nelections fraud.<\/p>\n
The meeting turned chaotic and was adjourned following a
\nheated debate between KPU government representatives and party
\nrepresentatives over the results of the supervisory committee's
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
Government representatives endorsed the investigation results
\nand pressed the representatives of the 27 dissenting parties to
\nsign the poll results. However, the party representatives were
\nnot moved, citing the large number of violations before and
\nduring the elections.<\/p>\n
The supervisory committee said on Monday the decision by the
\n27 party representatives not to endorse the poll results was
\nincorrect because their objections were not based on fact.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian National Party led by Supeni and the New
\nIndonesia Party signed the poll results on Monday.<\/p>\n
Following the debate, the KPU representatives of 46 political
\nparties met at Hotel Indonesia to discuss the numerous problems
\nthe elections commission faced.<\/p>\n
The party representatives agreed to forge ahead with KPU's
\nagenda, including allocating seats in the next House and
\nprovincial and regency legislatures.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the parties' objections, the elections commission
\nwill continue with its agenda and process the poll results. We
\nwill do it for the sake of the nation,\" KPU chairman Rudini said.<\/p>\n
The party representatives also agreed to demand the government
\nexpel its representatives Andi Mallarangeng and Adnan Buyung
\nNasution from the commission.<\/p>\n
\"We will no longer be able to work with the two,\" Agus Miftah,
\nthe Indonesian People's Economic Party's representative, said.<\/p>\n
Rudini said he was disappointed by the government
\nrepresentatives' performance on the elections commission.<\/p>\n
\"They failed to play a role as a bridge between the government
\nand political parties on the elections commission,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid said the
\ndecision by the 25 parties not to endorse the elections results
\nwould not affect the poll results.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the parties' ignorance of the Elections Supervisory
\nCommittee's decision, the poll results remain valid,\" he said in
\nMauk, Tangerang, West Java, on Monday.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Elections Supervisory Committee's decision to
\noverrule the parties' objections was supported by poll watchdog
\nthe Rectors Forum, and Rubiyanto Misman and Noer Iskandar al-
\nBarsany, two political observers from General Soedirman
\nUniversity in Purwokerto, Central Java.<\/p>\n
The director of the Rectors Forum, Sudjana Sapi'ie, said in
\nBandung, West Java, on Monday the final elections results were
\nnot very different from the votes counted by both local and
\nforeign observers. (prb\/rms\/43\/45)<\/p>",
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