PPP chapters free to decide on election results<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Central Executive Board of the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) says it will not give a blanket response
\nto last month's election results, and will let its regional
\nchapters and branches decide for themselves.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the party's headquarters yesterday, deputy
\nsecretary-general Bachtiar Chamsyah said the decision was made
\nafter a five-day leadership meeting which ended Monday.<\/p>\n
The decision was issued, and the PPP's 27 chapters duly
\ninformed, Tuesday.<\/p>\n
"We told PPP chapters and branches to absorb and channel their
\nmembers' aspirations before making their own decisions about the
\npoll results," he said.<\/p>\n
Most PPP chapters and branches were likely to endorse the
\nresults, Bachtiar said.<\/p>\n
"But we will not prevent any chapter or branch from rejecting
\nthe results if they want. We will back their decision," he said.<\/p>\n
A number of PPP chapters and branches, alleging vote-rigging
\nand irregularities in vote counting, have called on their leaders
\nin Jakarta to boycott the next stage of the election process: the
\nsigning of the final results.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the other minority
\nparty that contested the May 29 election, is also considering
\nstaying away from the signing ceremony at national level when the
\nfinal nationwide vote count is announced on June 23.<\/p>\n
The results must first be endorsed throughout the country at
\nregency, then provincial level before they are endorsed at
\nnational level.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Institute has said the vote count
\nresults will be valid even if they are not endorsed by any of the
\nparties.<\/p>\n
Bachtiar said every chapter and branch had its own problems
\nand views on the election results, and these could not be
\ngeneralized as the party's universal stance.<\/p>\n
He cited the PPP's West Sumatra chapter and the Sampang branch
\nin Madura, East Java, as examples. Both have publicly announced
\ntheir intention of rejecting the poll results.<\/p>\n
Only four of the 14 PPP branches in West Sumatra have signed
\nthe official report on the poll results in the province, he said.<\/p>\n
Ballot counting in West Sumatra was marred by allegations that
\nthe signature of Padang's branch chairman, which appeared on the
\nfinal vote count, was forged.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta chapter, which has threatened not to sign the
\nofficial results report, has not confirmed this.<\/p>\n
The Sampang branch has rejected the election rerun results and
\nwill not take up its seats in the regional legislative council.<\/p>\n
Golkar scored a comfortable victory with 60 percent of the
\nvalid ballots in the Sampang election rerun last Wednesday. The
\narea has traditionally been a PPP stronghold.<\/p>\n
Based on the provisional results of the count, Golkar has won
\n74 percent of the valid votes, PPP 22 percent and PDI 3 percent.
\nBy a rough estimate, the results translate into 325 seats in the
\nHouse of Representatives for Golkar, 90 seats for PPP and 10
\nseats for PDI. One seat remains unallocated.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces, whose members did not vote, will take up the
\nother 75 seats in the 500-strong House.<\/p>\n
Bachtiar said PPP's central board will meet this week to
\ndiscuss whether or not to endorse the election results.<\/p>\n
In a related development, PPP's Central Java chapter said
\nyesterday it would wait for a decision from all 35 branches in
\nthe province before making known whether or not it would accept
\nthe election results.<\/p>\n
"So far 10 PPP branches have endorsed the poll results,"
\nchapter chairman Karmani said.<\/p>\n
Central Java branches have until tomorrow to decide whether or
\nnot to endorse the election. (imn\/har)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppp-chapters-free-to-decide-on-election-results-1447893297",
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