PDI Perjuangan maintains lead

PDI Perjuangan maintains lead

JAKARTA (JP): A mere 2 percent of votes from approximately 100
million voters were counted by 11.15 p.m. on Tuesday, but
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
continued to be the front-runner with 690,622 votes.

The party led by opposition leader Megawati Soekarnoputri was
followed by National Awakening Party (PKB) at a distant second
which grabbed 425,794 votes. According to the General Election
Commission (KPU), the next top five were Golkar with 246,988
votes, United Development Party (PPP) with 137,885, National
Mandate Party (PAN) with 96,682, Crescent Star Party (PBB) with
21,788 votes, and Justice and Unity Party (PKP) with 13,406
votes.

The commission issues two versions of the vote counting
results collected from polling places across the country, one in
Indonesian, as mentioned above, and another in English.

In the English version, Golkar was in second place after PDI
Perjuangan.

Confusion reigned on Tuesday not only in the central media
center at the Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta which is linked-
up with the commission's special counting center, but also among
various groups of people as reports of different results and the
slowness with which reports from polling places reached the
commission.

To aggravate things further, many other institutions including
political parties, set up their own vote counting which some
media have quoted without mentioning sources. Golkar, for
instance, had its own vote counting activity which proceeded
faster than the commission's.

Antara, quoting its own sources, said at 11.11 p.m. that PDI
Perjuangan had won more than 3 million votes with Golkar trailing
in second place with 1,712,025 votes.

Third was PKB with 1,207,925 votes, PPP with 693,174 votes and
PAN with 555,369 votes. The votes gathered by the top five
political parties total 7,418,118.

Some observers expressed fears of vote-rigging so much, that
opposition leader Abdurrahman Wahid has threatened to consider
setting up an alternative emergency government if evidence of
foul play is found.

Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur, told Reuters he
conveyed his stance to Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen.
Wiranto and Megawati.

Another threat was made in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, where
leaders of PDI Perjuangan in five regencies decided to reject the
results of vote counting because they believed it had been
tampered by local government officials in order to give Golkar a
boost.

Antara quoted party chapter chairman La Ode Rifai P as saying
an order was issued to all supporters across the province that
they should not sign the vote counting report. Rifai alleged
local officials had been deployed in villages to use bribery to
influence people to vote for Golkar.

Golkar leader Marzuki Darusman was gracious about the
possibility of losing. He said his party has been in power for
more than three decades, so it should be ready to accept defeat.

"Golkar (must also be ready) to hand over power to parties
winning the elections," he said, adding the party could instead
take the position of opposition. "That is normal in democracy."

Marzuki was speaking after a meeting at the Aryaduta Hotel
with Mochtar Buhori and Sabam Sirait of PDI Perjuangan, Faisal
Basri of PAN, and Iskandar Muhaimin of PKB.

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, however, was less accepting.
In a media briefing Tuesday evening, he questioned the wide gap
between the vote earning of PDI Perjuangan and Golkar as recorded
in the commission's vote count.

"With due respect to the general election commission, I must
ask for clarification why this is so," he said in the session
aired by TVRI. "I am not being suspicious...as our own vote
counting, too, shows that PDI Perjuangan has obtained more than
Golkar...but the gap is simply too far."

Stronghold

By 9.15 p.m. there was evidence that PDI Perjuangan's stiffest
competition came from Golkar. As Megawati's party was winning
most of Java, Akbar Tandjung-led Golkar was gaining ground in
areas outside.

In Jakarta, PDI Perjuangan was first, followed by PAN, Golkar,
PPP, Justice Party (PK) and PKB.

PDI Perjuangan also led in West Java, where 82 of the House of
Representative (DPR) seats are allotted, the largest number being
contested. It was followed by PPP, Golkar, PKB and Crescent Star
Party (PBB).

In Central Java, PDI Perjuangan was the front-runner followed
by PKB, Golkar, PPP, PAN and PBB. In Yogyakarta, the hometown of
PAN leader Amien Rais, was still being led by PDI Perjuangan,
followed by Golkar, PKB and PAN.

In East Java, where competition for Muslims' votes was fierce,
the National Awakening Party (PKB) led by a large margin,
followed by PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, PPP and PAN.

In South Sumatra, again PDI Perjuangan was the leader,
followed by Golkar, PPP, PAN, and PKB.

Antara reported that in West Nusa Tenggara, for instance,
Golkar was first, followed by PDI Perjuangan and Masyumi Baru.

Again Golkar prevailed in South Sulawesi, winning 6,012 votes
compared to PDI Perjuangan's 250, while PPP won 900 votes.

In Southeast Sulawesi, Golkar again won with 4,582, more than
four times as many votes as PDI Perjuangan, which trailed at
1,011.

In Jambi, Golkar was also the winner followed by PDI
Perjuangan and PPP. In West Sumatra, PAN was the leader followed
by Golkar, PDI Perjuangan.

In Aceh, however, PPP was the leader, winning 27,291 votes,
followed by PAN, Golkar, PDI Perjuangan and Muslim Community
Awakening Party (PKU).

The present election is the country's eighth since its 1945
Independence. The last general election was held in 1997 under
Soeharto's New Order government.

The parliamentary election will choose 462 members of the 500-
seat House of Representatives. The remaining 38 seats have been
allotted to the military, whose members are not elected.

A total of 10,500 candidates from 48 parties are running for
election. (28/34/39/44/rms/swa/swe)b