N. Sumatra reelects Rizal Nurdin as governor

N. Sumatra reelects Rizal Nurdin as governor

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The North Sumatra legislative council voted on Monday 51 to 33
to reelect Rizal Nurdin as governor for another five years, in
one of the few major regional election victories for the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Rizal won the gubernatorial race along with his running mate
Rudolf Pardede, who chairs the PDI Perjuangan's North Sumatra
branch.

Councillors cast 85 votes, 51 of which went to the winning
pair. One vote was declared invalid. The remaining 33 votes went
to Golkar faction-nominated candidates Chaeruman Harahap and
Serta Ginting.

The election was held in two rounds because none of the pairs
won the mandatory minimum 50 percent of the vote in the first
round, said North Sumatra Council Speaker Ahmad Azhari.

Only the two pairs of candidates with the most votes were
allowed to proceed to the second round. Three pairs had entered
Monday's race.

The third pair was National Mandate faction-nominated
Amrun Daulay and Baskami Ginting, who also hails from the PDI
Perjuangan faction.

Their loss left their supporters free to choose between Rizal
and his Golkar rival Chaeruman.

Baskami said that during the second round, he told PDI Per
juangan members to vote for Rizal. "I've told everyone to vote
for Rizal. There is no choice because I too am a PDI Perjuangan
member," Baskami said.

The chairman of the council's PDI Perjuangan faction, Topan
Agung Ginting, said Rizal would not have won without the support
of other factions.

"We are grateful to our friends from other factions who
supported our candidate," Topan said.

Losing deputy governor candidate Serta Ginting expressed no
disappointment over his lost, and said the election was democrat
ic. "I hope his (Rizal's) leadership will be better than during
his previous governorship," said Serta, who is also the council's
deputy speaker.

Rizal and Rudolf must pass a three-day scrutiny period. The
election results could be annulled if the public finds fault with
the process or with the pair's track record.

Monday's gubernatorial election marked one of few major victo
ries for PDI Perjuangan. The party won the 1999 general election
and has the most seats at the majority of legislative councils.
But many candidates from PDI Perjuangan factions have lost out to
others nominated by coalitions of smaller factions. There have
been allegations that bribery concerning PDI Perjuangan faction
members have cost the party's candidates their victories in some
elections.

Last week the PDI Perjuangan nominated candidate lost the West
Java gubernatorial race to Danny Setiawan. He was nominated by
the Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP) factions.

PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary Mangara Siahaan said that the
party had been successful in two gubernatorial elections, the
first being last year's election of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and
the second being Rizal.

"We're also targeting the governorships in Central and East
Java, East Kalimantan, South Sumatra and Riau," he said.