PKS wins in low turnout Depok polls<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Muslim scholar Nur Mahmudi Ismail has been announced as the
\nwinner of the mayoral election in the fast-developing Depok.<\/p>\n
Depok General Elections Commission (KPUD) chairman Zulfadli
\nsaid Nur Mahmudi, who was nominated by the Justice Party (PKS),
\nwon in five of six districts in Depok. The district of Sawangan
\nwas won by Golkar Party candidate Badrul Kamal.<\/p>\n
\"We have finished counting the votes from all the districts.
\nWe will hold a plenary meeting as soon as possible and announce
\nthe results officially,\" Zulfadli told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Zulfadli said 549,310 people, or roughly 60 percent of the
\n908,890 registered voters in the districts of Beji, Sawangan,
\nLimo, Cimanggis, Sukmajaya and Pancoran Mas, voted in the June 26
\npolls, the first direct mayoral election in Depok.<\/p>\n
He said former forestry minister Nur Mahmudi received 232,610
\nvotes, or 43 percent of the votes cast. Badrul, a former Depok
\nmayor, was trailing behind with 206,781 votes, or 38 percent of
\nthe vote.<\/p>\n
Three other candidates -- Abdul Wahab of the Democratic Party,
\nHarun Heryana of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Yus
\nRuswandi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
\n-- split 84,494 votes, while 19,503 ballots were declared
\ninvalid.<\/p>\n
Nur Mahmudi, according to Zulfadli, was the top vote-getter in
\nthe districts of Beji, Cimanggis, Lemo, Sukmajaya and Pancoran.<\/p>\n
Around 908,890 of Depok's 1.2 million residents were eligible
\nto vote at 1,923 polling stations across the municipality.<\/p>\n
Nur Mahmudi's running mate was fellow PKS activist Yuyun
\nWirasaputra, while Badrul's running mate was Syihabuddin of the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB).<\/p>\n
Nur Mahmudi was a minister of forestry during the
\nadministration of president Abdurrahman Wahid from 1999 to 2001.
\nHe is a popular Muslim intellectual and a former president of the
\nJustice Party (PK), which evolved into the PKS. He is now a
\nlecturer at the Bogor Agriculture Institute.<\/p>\n
The PKS dominated the legislative election in Depok in 2004,
\nwinning 24.49 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
The defeated mayoral candidates visited Nur Mahmudi on
\nThursday to offer him their congratulations and to pledge their
\nsupport in making Depok a better city.<\/p>\n
Zulfadli welcomed the gesture and expressed hope this would
\ncool the tensions that had been running high in the municipality
\nsince Monday, when supporters of one of the defeated candidates
\ndemanded a revote.<\/p>\n
\"I think they showed they have big hearts and are good
\npoliticians. All of us have to accept the results of the
\nelection. We have conducted the elections in a fair and
\ntransparent manner. Any complaints should be reported to Panwaslu
\n(the Election Monitoring Body),\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, dozens of Badrul's supporters rallied in front of
\nthe Depok Council on Thursday to demand a revote, claiming the
\nJune 26 election was rigged.<\/p>\n
The protesters then moved on to the KPUD office on Jl.
\nSawangan.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pks-wins-in-low-turnout-depok-polls-1447893297",
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