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)