Unregistered parties get votes in Ambon

AMBON, Maluku: Thirteen political parties which were not registered with the local election committee here, have won some votes, Antara reported.

Chairman of Ambon's municipality election committee, Joppy Papilaja, confirmed here Thursday that 13 unregistered parties had won votes in the recent polls. He attributed this to the inadequate socialization of Law No 3/1999 on general elections.

The 13 parties included the Muslim Community Awakening Party (PKU), Abul Yatama Party, Democratic People's Party (PRD), Murba Party, Peace-Loving Party, and Indonesian Workers Party (PPI).

Papilaja disclosed that the five leading parties in the provisional vote count were the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) with 34,220 votes for the House of Representatives (DPR), 31,638 votes for the provincial legislative assembly (DPRD-I) and 31,394 votes for the regional legislative assembly (DPRD-II).

The United Development Party (PPP) came second, followed by Golkar, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the Nation-Loving Democratic Party.