Elections in Pidie, North Aceh canceled

Elections in Pidie, North Aceh canceled

JAKARTA (JP): Security concerns led the General Elections
Commission (KPU) and the government to cancel the elections in
the Pidie and North Aceh regencies of Aceh.

KPU chairman Rudini said here on Monday the decision was made
after taking into account escalating tension in the regencies and
the possible risks if elections went ahead there.

"The government, KPU and the National Elections Committee
(PPI) agreed in a Saturday meeting to cancel polls in the two
troubled regencies after consulting with the provincial elections
committee," Rudini said.

The two regencies had been given from June 19 to June 27 to
hold elections after the June 7 polls were postponed. The General
Election Law allows polls to be delayed for 30 days in
problematic areas.

The deputy chairman of PPI and an Aceh native, Hasbalah M.
Saad, agreed with the decision, saying escalating violence in the
two regencies had made it impossible for the regional elections
committees to hold the polls.

"Many Aceh people, party activists and local elections
committee members were killed or intimidated by the separatist
Free Aceh Movement, who never stopped their attempts to stop the
elections," Hasballah said.

A total of 12 seats in the House of Representatives and 49
seats in the provincial legislative council were on offer in the
June 7 elections in the province.

Hasballah said despite the cancellation of the polls, the two
regencies would be allocated seats in the House and the
provincial legislature.

Members of the local legislatures in the two regencies will be
elected through elections which will be held simultaneously,
according to Hasballah.

Violence has been on the rise in Aceh since a decade-long
antiseparatist military operation was ended last year. Both the
government and the military have been blamed for human rights
violations during the operation.

Protests

Meanwhile, 10 youths claiming to represent 30 political
parties registered in Jambi, met Rudini to demand the KPU annul
the law which requires parties to win 2 percent of the vote in
the general election or be disqualified from contesting the next
elections.

They said most parties did not reach the electoral threshold
because they did not have the time to present their platforms to
the people. Most of the parties were established less than a
year ago.

Another protest was lodged by an alliance of nine Muslim
parties which accused the National Elections Committee of
discrimination.

The representative of the Muslim parties, Abdullah Hehamahua,
told Rudini PPI Chairman Jacob Tobing unlawfully announced four
vote sharing agreements, widely known as stembus akkoord, made by
political parties.

The alliance said the agreements were illegal and should
therefore be canceled.

They also demanded that Jacob be investigated on charges of
manipulation.

"The announcement issued by Jacob on June 19 to all provincial
and regional elections committees was manipulative and a criminal
action," Hehamahua said.

Jacob announced on June 19 a vote sharing agreement reached by
nine parties -- the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), the MKGR
Party, the IPKI Party, the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI),
the Independent Nationhood Party (PKM), the People's Choice Party
(PILAR), the Murba Party, the National Labor Party (PBN) and the
Indonesian Workers Party (PPI).

"This accord should be rejected because five of the nine
parties did not sign it, while three of the parties failed to
stamp the agreement," Hehamahua said.

A vote sharing agreement involving eight political parties
should also be rejected because it was made on June 6, two days
after the deadline set by the elections committee for such
agreements, Hehamahua said.

The eight parties are the New Masyumi Party, PPI, the National
Democratic Party (PND), the Indonesian Marhaenist Party, the
Indonesian Christian Party (Krisna), the Catholic Democrat Party
(PKD), the Indonesian Workers Solidarity Party (SPSI) and the
Indonesian People Party (PARI).

Parties were originally required to report vote sharing
agreements to the PPI on May 31, but the elections committee
moved back the deadline to June 4 to give parties more time to
seek partners.

Hehamahua also said a separate accord between Krisna and PKD
should be rejected because of both parties involvement in the
earlier vote sharing agreement.

He claimed that an accord reached by the eight Muslim parties
was the only legal one because it met all the conditions
stipulated by the PPI.

The eight parties are the United Development Party (PPP), the
Justice Party, the Crescent Star Party, the Ummat Nadhlatul
Party, the Ummat Awakening Party, the Muslim Ummat Party, the
1905 Indonesian Islamic Sjariat Party and the Masyumi Party.

"The stembus akkoord was made and reported to PPI and the
public on May 30, eight days before election day," he said.

Responding to the protest, Rudini said he would present the
case to a KPU plenary session and follow it up if it was
considered a crime.

The KPU provisional national ballot tally as of Monday evening
saw Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle in front with 35.9
percent of votes counted and 16 House of Representatives seats.
Coming in second was Golkar with 18.9 percent of votes, which
earned it 33 House seats. The National Awakening Party stayed
third with 17.4 percent of vote and 32 House seats.

Only seven out of 48 registered parties have secured House
seats so far. (rms)