Depok residents told to calm down

Depok residents told to calm down

Fearing escalating tension in Depok following the court ruling
that overturned the result of the June 26 mayoral election, the
Jakarta Police called on Depok residents to stay calm, while
saying that police would send more personnel.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said the police
would maintain a high alert in the Depok mayoralty.

Fears of violent clashes between the supporters of Badrul
Kamal and Syihabuddin Ahmad and the election winners Nur Mahmudi
Ismail and Yuyun Wirasaputra reached a new height following the
West Java High Court's ruling on Thursday.

The court found rampant vote rigging and manipulation in the
election which had led to the undercounting of Badrul's vote and
the overcounting of Nur Mahmudi's vote.

The ruling brought fresh disappointment to supporters of Nur
Mahmudi, who is a candidate from the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS) and also the former forestry minister.

His supporters plan to stage a massive rally on Saturday to
protest the decision.

"There has been consensus from both pairs to maintain the
peace ... But, we have deployed around 200 personnel to back up
the Depok Police precinct to stave off possible threats to
security," Firman said.

Despite the court ruling, some administrative law experts said
that Badrul would have to delay any celebrations should Nur
Mahmudi lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court. -- JP