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