PDI Perjuangan maintains lead<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A mere 2 percent of votes from approximately 100
\nmillion voters were counted by 11.15 p.m. on Tuesday, but
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\ncontinued to be the front-runner with 690,622 votes.<\/p>\n
The party led by opposition leader Megawati Soekarnoputri was
\nfollowed by National Awakening Party (PKB) at a distant second
\nwhich grabbed 425,794 votes. According to the General Election
\nCommission (KPU), the next top five were Golkar with 246,988
\nvotes, United Development Party (PPP) with 137,885, National
\nMandate Party (PAN) with 96,682, Crescent Star Party (PBB) with
\n21,788 votes, and Justice and Unity Party (PKP) with 13,406
\nvotes.<\/p>\n
The commission issues two versions of the vote counting
\nresults collected from polling places across the country, one in
\nIndonesian, as mentioned above, and another in English.<\/p>\n
In the English version, Golkar was in second place after PDI
\nPerjuangan.<\/p>\n
Confusion reigned on Tuesday not only in the central media
\ncenter at the Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta which is linked-
\nup with the commission's special counting center, but also among
\nvarious groups of people as reports of different results and the
\nslowness with which reports from polling places reached the
\ncommission.<\/p>\n
To aggravate things further, many other institutions including
\npolitical parties, set up their own vote counting which some
\nmedia have quoted without mentioning sources. Golkar, for
\ninstance, had its own vote counting activity which proceeded
\nfaster than the commission's.<\/p>\n
Antara, quoting its own sources, said at 11.11 p.m. that PDI
\nPerjuangan had won more than 3 million votes with Golkar trailing
\nin second place with 1,712,025 votes.<\/p>\n
Third was PKB with 1,207,925 votes, PPP with 693,174 votes and
\nPAN with 555,369 votes. The votes gathered by the top five
\npolitical parties total 7,418,118.<\/p>\n
Some observers expressed fears of vote-rigging so much, that
\nopposition leader Abdurrahman Wahid has threatened to consider
\nsetting up an alternative emergency government if evidence of
\nfoul play is found.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur, told Reuters he
\nconveyed his stance to Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen.
\nWiranto and Megawati.<\/p>\n
Another threat was made in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, where
\nleaders of PDI Perjuangan in five regencies decided to reject the
\nresults of vote counting because they believed it had been
\ntampered by local government officials in order to give Golkar a
\nboost.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted party chapter chairman La Ode Rifai P as saying
\nan order was issued to all supporters across the province that
\nthey should not sign the vote counting report. Rifai alleged
\nlocal officials had been deployed in villages to use bribery to
\ninfluence people to vote for Golkar.<\/p>\n
Golkar leader Marzuki Darusman was gracious about the
\npossibility of losing. He said his party has been in power for
\nmore than three decades, so it should be ready to accept defeat.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar (must also be ready) to hand over power to parties
\nwinning the elections,\" he said, adding the party could instead
\ntake the position of opposition. \"That is normal in democracy.\"<\/p>\n
Marzuki was speaking after a meeting at the Aryaduta Hotel
\nwith Mochtar Buhori and Sabam Sirait of PDI Perjuangan, Faisal
\nBasri of PAN, and Iskandar Muhaimin of PKB.<\/p>\n
Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, however, was less accepting.
\nIn a media briefing Tuesday evening, he questioned the wide gap
\nbetween the vote earning of PDI Perjuangan and Golkar as recorded
\nin the commission's vote count.<\/p>\n
\"With due respect to the general election commission, I must
\nask for clarification why this is so,\" he said in the session
\naired by TVRI. \"I am not being suspicious...as our own vote
\ncounting, too, shows that PDI Perjuangan has obtained more than
\nGolkar...but the gap is simply too far.\"<\/p>\n
Stronghold<\/p>\n
By 9.15 p.m. there was evidence that PDI Perjuangan's stiffest
\ncompetition came from Golkar. As Megawati's party was winning
\nmost of Java, Akbar Tandjung-led Golkar was gaining ground in
\nareas outside.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, PDI Perjuangan was first, followed by PAN, Golkar,
\nPPP, Justice Party (PK) and PKB.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan also led in West Java, where 82 of the House of
\nRepresentative (DPR) seats are allotted, the largest number being
\ncontested. It was followed by PPP, Golkar, PKB and Crescent Star
\nParty (PBB).<\/p>\n
In Central Java, PDI Perjuangan was the front-runner followed
\nby PKB, Golkar, PPP, PAN and PBB. In Yogyakarta, the hometown of
\nPAN leader Amien Rais, was still being led by PDI Perjuangan,
\nfollowed by Golkar, PKB and PAN.<\/p>\n
In East Java, where competition for Muslims' votes was fierce,
\nthe National Awakening Party (PKB) led by a large margin,
\nfollowed by PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, PPP and PAN.<\/p>\n
In South Sumatra, again PDI Perjuangan was the leader,
\nfollowed by Golkar, PPP, PAN, and PKB.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that in West Nusa Tenggara, for instance,
\nGolkar was first, followed by PDI Perjuangan and Masyumi Baru.<\/p>\n
Again Golkar prevailed in South Sulawesi, winning 6,012 votes
\ncompared to PDI Perjuangan's 250, while PPP won 900 votes.<\/p>\n
In Southeast Sulawesi, Golkar again won with 4,582, more than
\nfour times as many votes as PDI Perjuangan, which trailed at
\n1,011.<\/p>\n
In Jambi, Golkar was also the winner followed by PDI
\nPerjuangan and PPP. In West Sumatra, PAN was the leader followed
\nby Golkar, PDI Perjuangan.<\/p>\n
In Aceh, however, PPP was the leader, winning 27,291 votes,
\nfollowed by PAN, Golkar, PDI Perjuangan and Muslim Community
\nAwakening Party (PKU).<\/p>\n
The present election is the country's eighth since its 1945
\nIndependence. The last general election was held in 1997 under
\nSoeharto's New Order government.<\/p>\n
The parliamentary election will choose 462 members of the 500-
\nseat House of Representatives. The remaining 38 seats have been
\nallotted to the military, whose members are not elected.<\/p>\n
A total of 10,500 candidates from 48 parties are running for
\nelection. (28\/34\/39\/44\/rms\/swa\/swe)b<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdi-perjuangan-maintains-lead-1447893297",
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