Aceh authorities cancel vote extension days

Aceh authorities cancel vote extension days

JAKARTA (JP): The local elections committee canceled several
vote extension days in the troubled North Aceh regency for
security reasons, Antara reported on Sunday.

The news agency quoted the local elections committee as saying
that the poll extension was scheduled in the regency for June 19
and June 20.

"After considering the opinions of various parties, we agreed
to cancel the vote extension because we believe it would only
bring us harm," Burhanuddin, head of the North Aceh Elections
Committee, was quoted as saying on Sunday.

An alliance of five independent election monitoring committees
opposed on Saturday the National Election Committee's decision to
hold the polls in Pidie, North Aceh and East Aceh.

The government postponed the June 7 vote in the regencies of
Aceh because of escalating tension between the military and
separatists. The election law allows a postponement of up to 30
days.

Networks including the University Network for Free and Fair
Elections (Unfrel) and the Indonesian Forum for Environment
(Walhi) said in a joint statement on Saturday that it was
impossible to hold free and safe polls in the regencies.

The news agency said the agreement was reached in a meeting
between the local elections committee, members of the provincial
elections committee and representatives of political parties
campaigning in the regency.

Calls for a referendum on self-determination and an election
boycott have been the strongest in North Aceh, East Aceh and
Pidie.

Separatists have been accused by the military of intimidating
residents to make them boycott the elections.

Violence has also been on the rise in the three regencies
where more than 70 people, including 41 civilians, have been
killed in attacks and counterattacks between the military and
alleged members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement since May.

North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie were the worst affected
regencies in a decade of antirebel operations during which the
military was accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Burhanuddin was also quoted as saying that elections were only
able to be held in seven of 26 districts in North Aceh last
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The districts were Banda Sakti, Syamtalira Bayu, Jeumpa, Merah
Mulia, Baktia, Lhoksukon and Makmur.

Burhanuddin said, however, that the final vote results would
only be announced on Monday.

He added that only 2 percent of the regency's 555,154 eligible
voters went to the polls last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the news agency said political parties in the
regency had agreed that the allocation of seats for the parties
in the House of Representatives and local legislatures should be
decided by the General Elections Commission and the National
Elections Committee.

"Whatever it is, leaders of political parties in North Aceh
will accept KPU's decision," Abdul Wahab Hasan, a representative
of the National Mandate Party, was quoted as saying.

Aceh, with a population of 4,114,400 people, is entitled to 12
seats in the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, the local elections committee in Aceh Besar also
canceled the extension of the polls in Seulimum and Lhong
districts for security reasons.

Teuku Umar, head of the Aceh Besar Elections Committee, was
quoted as saying by Antara that the decision was reached in a
meeting between officials and political parties on Sunday.

Umar said residents had been intimidated by a group of
unidentified people to boycott the elections in the last few
days.

It also said only 334 of 1,226 registered voters in Lampana
district went to the polls on June 7.

Thousands of Acehnese fled to school buildings and mosques in
Pidie and North Aceh recently in fear of heavy military presence
in their villages.

At least 1,200 riot troops were deployed to the province to
safeguard the elections.

As of 10:55 the website of the central tallying center helping
to issue provisional results showed that in Aceh the United
Development Party (PPP) was leading with 94,431 votes of 23.4
percent votes counted. The Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was in second place with 93,982 votes
while the National Mandate Party (PAN) had 81,637 votes.

The much criticized Golkar Party still had fourth place with
49,621 votes, according to the Joint Media Operations Center
which revealed seven districts already had results.

The website showing official results in Aceh from the General
Elections Commission was still empty as of late Sunday.(byg/anr)