Karanganyar to rehold elections

Karanganyar to rehold elections

KARANGANYAR, Central Java: Karanganyar legislative council
decided on Saturday to repeat last year's regental elections in
Karanganyar due to money politics.

Emerging from the plenary meeting on Saturday at the office of
the Karanganyar legislative council, council chairman Sumarso
Dhiono said that the decision was taken after an investigation
found that the elected regent and deputy regent, Rina Iriani and
Sri Sadoyo, were guilty of money politics during the election
process.

Rina and Sri were elected as regent and deputy regent of
Karanganyar regency on Oct. 23 last year.

"The findings were even endorsed by a letter from the Minister
of Home Affairs dated Nov. 11 last year," he said.

It is not known why the Karanganyar legislative council took
so long to investigate the elections nor to announce their
decision.

The plenary meeting on Saturday was attended by 42
councillors; 30 of them demanded that the elections be repeated.
Three councillors were absent from the meeting.

The atmosphere of the meeting became tense after five
councillors from the Reform Faction walked out.

The 30 councillors, who were in favor of the reelections, were
from Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
factions. The remaining seven councillors, from the Indonesian
military and police faction, chose to abstain.

The Karanganyar legislative council is slated to hold another
plenary meeting on Wednesday, to arrange the schedule for the
upcoming reelections.

The pairs of Gunawan Sukardjo and Dradjad, and Sadewo and
Yuliatmono are expected to run in the reelections.

However, Rina Iriani and Sri Sadoyo will be barred from
participating. -- Antara