Vote tally goes at snail's pace<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As of 11:30 p.m. on Monday, with only about 130,000 votes counted
\nnationwide, mostly from Jakarta and East Java, the current
\npresident's party was leading the last president's party by a
\nslim margin, with an upstart newcomer making a huge splash after
\nvoting ended 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
Ballot counting began at a snail's pace, in stark contrast to
\nwhat the nation had been promised, and the election officials
\nhave over 140 million to go. Due to the minuscule percentage
\ncounted, the numbers are likely to change markedly, but they do
\nperhaps show a very surprising trend with the former security
\nminister's party.<\/p>\n
Of the votes counted, the secular nationalist party of
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri had Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI-P) had 18.41 percent, followed by the Muslim-
\nbased National Awakening Party (PKB) with 16.26 percent,
\naccording to the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s ballot
\ncounting center.<\/p>\n
Despite the sluggish counting, the election was generally
\nsmooth across the archipelago.<\/p>\n
The early returns also had surprising newcomer, the Democratic
\nParty ahead of the once-mighty Golkar, Soeharto's electoral
\nmachine, which survived the 1998 political upheaval that saw the
\nautocrat fall from grace.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Party, co-founded by the former security
\nminister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (fired last month by Megawati),
\nwas close third with 13.44 percent, ahead of Golkar's 13.33
\npercent.<\/p>\n
The fifth, sixth and seventh positions in the early count put
\nthe Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) at 10.56
\npercent; the veterans from the Muslim-based United Development
\nParty (PPP) at 6.87 percent and Amien Rais's National Mandate
\nParty (PAN), at 5.56 percent.<\/p>\n
In results from Jakarta late on Monday, still with under 1
\npercent of all votes counted, PDI-P was getting annihilated by
\nSusilo's Democratic Party and the PKS. As the counting continues
\nfor the next few days, the positions could change.<\/p>\n
KPU earlier claimed the majority of the counting from major
\ncities would be known by 8 p.m. on Monday.<\/p>\n
KPU member Chusnul Mar'iyah attributed the late counting on
\ndifficulties encountered by data entry personnel and the fact
\nthat not all districts had internet facilities.<\/p>\n
Although the polls ran well for the most part, several areas,
\nmost notably in Papua province, had to be postponed due to a lack
\nof ballot papers, boxes and other essentials.<\/p>\n
The election will determine who will sit in the House of
\nRepresentatives, the Provincial and Regental\/Municipal Councils
\nand the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) -- a new national
\nbody similar to the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n
For the first time, the House will not be represented by
\nactive members of the Indonesian Military (TNI), which was given
\nfree seats in past elections. By law, military members are
\nallowed to cast votes starting this year but TNI Commander Gen.
\nEndriartono Sutarto had made an appeal to his men and women to
\nrefrain from voting.<\/p>\n
In Bali, voters cast their votes in over 9,000 voting stations
\nin nine electoral regions.<\/p>\n
Bali police spokeswoman Snr. Comm. Rosalia P Gaut said that no
\nsecurity-related incidents occurred.<\/p>\n
\"Everything went smoothly and as expected,\" she said on Monday
\nevening.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Party also gained strong ground in Denpasar,
\nplacing second the president's party in several tight head-to-
\nhead battles in PDI-P's heartland.<\/p>\n
In several polling stations in Ampenan, on Lombok island in
\nWest Nusa Tenggara, several people said they had been paid Rp
\n20,000 (US$2.3) each to vote for \"certain political parties\".<\/p>\n
At present, PDI-P, Golkar, PKS and the Democratic Party were
\nthe early leaders in the province.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Manado, North Sulawesi, several parties,
\nincluding Golkar, PDI-P, the startling Christian-based newcomer
\nProsperous Peaceful Party (PDS) -- also eighth overall nationwide
\n-- and the Democratic Party were involved in a race too close to
\ncall.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Party and PKS reportedly secured significant
\nvotes in Palembang, South Sumatra, the hometown of Megawati's
\nhusband Taufik Kiemas.<\/p>\n
In Samarinda, East Kalimantan, the only three parties allowed
\nfor the three decades under Soeharto: PDI-P, Golkar and PPP, had
\ntaken the early lead.<\/p>",
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