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)