Committees deny poll watchers' vote

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Out of 8,500 volunteers of the University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel) in North Sumatra, 1,700 failed to vote because they were rejected by local polling committees.

"A number of polling committees in various districts in the province, without any clear reason, prohibited Unfrel volunteers from voting," coordinator of Unfrel's North Sumatra chapter, Destanul Aulia, said Tuesday, Antara reported.

Aulia said 20 percent of the volunteers showed their registration slips, identity cards and Unfrel identity cards.

The failure of UNFREL volunteers to vote could have been prevented if the Provincial Elections Committee coordinated with the lower elections committees, he said.