Some areas demand that polls be repeated

Some areas demand that polls be repeated

JAKARTA (JP): As provincial elections committees continued to tally the votes on Wednesday, reports of elections violations and demands to repeat the polls in certain areas continued to flow in from the provinces.

In West Nusa Tenggara, there was confusion when poll results reported by the elections committee were claimed to be "internal results" compiled by the administration's sociopolitical office for the Ministry of Home Affairs. This added to suspicion of vote tampering following reports that officials interfered with the work of the elections committee.

"What are they busy counting for and who are their sources," an elections committee member said.

In the Bima and Dompu regencies, two Golkar executives were reported to the police for practicing money politics after distributing soap before the polls.

Meanwhile, local poll watch group LP3ES estimated 23.10 percent of the 2.2 million eligible voters in West Nusa Tenggara failed to vote in the elections.

In Yogyakarta's Gunung Kidul regency, vote counting was conducted by the administration rather than the elections committee. The administration said they counted the ballots because the elections committee chief did not fulfill his duties. The Provincial Elections Committee said it would check the report and the ballot count in the regency.

In Yogyakarta, the hometown of National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was still leading the ballot as of late Wednesday afternoon with 35.7 percent of the vote, followed by PAN with 17.24 percent and Golkar with 14.75 percent.

Some 65.2 percent of the votes had been counted in Yogyakarta as of Wednesday.

In North Aceh, the National Mandate Party (PAN) had garnered the most votes as of Wednesday afternoon with 534, followed by the ruling Golkar Party (517) and PDI Perjuangan.

Local officials said they were only able to hold elections in five of the 26 districts in the regency for security reasons. These districts were Banda Sakti, Bayu, Jeumpa, Lhok Sukon and Baktiya.

Calls for a referendum on self-determination and an elections boycott in the regencies of North Aceh, East Aceh and Pidie resulted in a low voter turnout for Monday's polls.

In South Sulawesi, 13 of 23 regencies had yet to send in elections results by Wednesday afternoon.

Twenty-eight parties in the province, where Golkar has taken an early lead in the polls, demanded the vote be repeated in Gowa regency. The parties claimed Golkar attempted to buy votes before the polls. In Palopo regency, 35 parties signed a joint statement rejecting the polls in the districts of Luwu and North Luwu following allegations of elections violations.

The chairman of the Gowa chapter of PDI Perjuangan, Muhammad Yunus, said based on the observations of several "reformist" parties, Golkar attempted to buy votes for between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 per person. "These findings are based on reports by members of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP)," Yunus said.

He added that Gowa regent Syahrul Yasin Limpo had summoned neighborhood heads and subdistrict chiefs to his house before the polls and urged them to help Golkar win the elections in their respective areas.

The 28 parties urged their representatives on the elections committees at the regency and mayoralty levels to resign.

In Sampang regency, Madura, East Java, PPP demanded the polls be repeated in the district of Kadungdung. PPP district chief Fauzi Abdullah said he found proof of intimidation by Golkar and the National Awakening Party, preventing voters from casting their ballots for PPP. He also said some 200 voters cast their ballots outside the voting booths.

The head of the East Java Elections Committee, Bisri A. Djalil, pledged to look into the charges.

In Sampang, PKB on Wednesday afternoon was leading the ballot with 9,249 votes, followed by PPP and PAN. In the 1997 elections, the polls had to be repeated in the regency.

In Surabaya, the provincial chapter of the Rectors Forum, a poll watchdog, revealed a number of violations. Technical violations were attributed to inexperienced elections committee officials.

In Dili, East Timor, the provincial elections committee ruled out the possibility of repeating the polls following an assault by the provincial chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party, K.E. Tampubolon, against elections committee secretary Abdul Hakim. The assault reportedly occurred after allegations the secretary had violated elections laws. Golkar is currently leading the vote in East Timor.

In Covalima regency, it was reported some 160,000 ballots were cast while there were only 30,028 registered voters.

In the districts of Zumalai, Tilomar and Raimea, ballot boxes were opened before the vote counting. Abdul Hakim said he would check the reports.

In Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, where 25,000 refugees took part in the elections, there is a close race between the Crescent Star Party (PBB), PDI Perjuangan and Golkar. (27/30/33/anr/39/46/49/nur/swa)