Habibie expected to sign poll results

Habibie expected to sign poll results

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie is expected to take
decisive action on Tuesday following the General Elections
Commission's (KPU) failure to endorse the elections results on
Monday.

State Secretary/Minister of Justice Muladi said on Monday the
President would take action following the commission's failure
to meet its deadline for endorsing the results of the general
election.

"The President is allowed to take action... if the KPU fails
to endorse the poll results," Muladi said.

After meeting with the President at Merdeka Palace, Muladi
said Habibie would consult with the KPU, the Elections
Supervisory Committee and the National Elections Committee before
making a decision.

"I still do not want to talk about (the plan), but in a state
of emergency the President has to do something," Muladi said.

The minister refused to confirm or deny rumors that the
President would issue a presidential decree validating the poll
results.

"Just wait until tomorrow morning," he said.

Muladi also said Habibie would meet on Tuesday at the State
Palace with leaders of political parties which won seats in the
House of Representatives in the general election. He said the
President would discuss preparations for the upcoming General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Muladi said Habibie would raise four important issues during
the talks, including amending the 1945 Constitution and the
President's accountability speech to the Assembly.

He said Habibie expected Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to attend, but added
that her absence would not affect the meeting.

The KPU in its plenary session here on Monday, again failed to
endorse the poll results. KPU representatives of 25 of the 27
smaller political parties which earlier refused to accept the
poll results, were not swayed by the results of the Election
Supervisory Committee's investigation into allegations of
elections fraud.

The meeting turned chaotic and was adjourned following a
heated debate between KPU government representatives and party
representatives over the results of the supervisory committee's
investigation.

Government representatives endorsed the investigation results
and pressed the representatives of the 27 dissenting parties to
sign the poll results. However, the party representatives were
not moved, citing the large number of violations before and
during the elections.

The supervisory committee said on Monday the decision by the
27 party representatives not to endorse the poll results was
incorrect because their objections were not based on fact.

The Indonesian National Party led by Supeni and the New
Indonesia Party signed the poll results on Monday.

Following the debate, the KPU representatives of 46 political
parties met at Hotel Indonesia to discuss the numerous problems
the elections commission faced.

The party representatives agreed to forge ahead with KPU's
agenda, including allocating seats in the next House and
provincial and regency legislatures.

"Despite the parties' objections, the elections commission
will continue with its agenda and process the poll results. We
will do it for the sake of the nation," KPU chairman Rudini said.

The party representatives also agreed to demand the government
expel its representatives Andi Mallarangeng and Adnan Buyung
Nasution from the commission.

"We will no longer be able to work with the two," Agus Miftah,
the Indonesian People's Economic Party's representative, said.

Rudini said he was disappointed by the government
representatives' performance on the elections commission.

"They failed to play a role as a bridge between the government
and political parties on the elections commission," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid said the
decision by the 25 parties not to endorse the elections results
would not affect the poll results.

"Despite the parties' ignorance of the Elections Supervisory
Committee's decision, the poll results remain valid," he said in
Mauk, Tangerang, West Java, on Monday.

Separately, the Elections Supervisory Committee's decision to
overrule the parties' objections was supported by poll watchdog
the Rectors Forum, and Rubiyanto Misman and Noer Iskandar al-
Barsany, two political observers from General Soedirman
University in Purwokerto, Central Java.

The director of the Rectors Forum, Sudjana Sapi'ie, said in
Bandung, West Java, on Monday the final elections results were
not very different from the votes counted by both local and
foreign observers. (prb/rms/43/45)