Village head election rans smoothly

TANGERANG (JP): The election process in the Rancakalapa subdistrict head in Cikupa district ran smoothly even though it was previously marked by the threats of three candidates to boycott the election.

H. Gunawan was finally reelected on Saturday as the new head of the subdistrict for another 8-year term with 1,619 votes out of a total 2,000.

The morning of the election, held at the Kolelet village, was seen a bit tense with many police officers on stand-by at the site.

"Thank God everything went in line with what we expected," said H. Nana Suryana, head of the Cikupa district office.

He acknowledged that he was pessimistic before the election when many people speculated that the election would end up in disarray.

On Saturday's election the three other candidates, Madsura, Madro'i and H. Madali, got only 474, 214 and 194 votes, respectively.

The three candidates, out of four running, had threatened to boycott the election on grounds that the election site in Kolelet village was unsuitable and not strategic. They demanded that the site be moved to Rancakalapa village.

They also strongly believed reports which said that the site in Kolelet was already possessed by a mantra (magic spells) power benefiting Gunawan.

However, the demand, and the superstition, was rejected by the election committee because it was actually the Rancakalapa village, which was not suitable for the election site, Nana said.

The three other contestants finally agreed to accept the committee's decision not to move the site after they were briefed that the reports on the supernatural power were groundless. (13/hhr)