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PAN candidates win regional elections
Nurni Sulaiman and Syofiardy Bachyul , The Jakarta Post , Samarinda, Padang | Mon, 10/27/2008 11:36 AM | The Archipelago
Pairs of candidates supported by the National Mandate Party (PAN) have unofficially won East Kalimantan's gubernatorial election and Padang's mayoralty election.
As of Friday, Awang Faroek Ishak and Farid Wadjdy had received the greatest number of votes at East Kalimantan's election held Thursday.
The pair, supported by 14 parties, including PAN, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party, are defeating Achmad Amins and Hadi Mulyadi, nominated by six parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Reform Star Party (PBR).
The Provincial General Election Commission (KPUD) said that out of 2,301,408 eligible voters spread out across 6,617 polling stations (TPS) in 13 regencies and cities throughout the province, Awang and Farid had won 222,401 votes or 56.15 percent, while Achmad and Hadi had received 173,687 votes or 43.85 percent.
The Indonesian Circle Survey (LSI) and Awang-Farid (AFI) Media Center also revealed the quick-count result even though the KPUD had banned all survey institutions from announcing their quick-count results on the election day.
LSI and AFI Media Center said on Thursday that Awang-Farid had received 58.44 percent of the votes, while Achmad-Hadi had 41.56 percent.
KPUD also reported that Awang-Farid dominated voters in Balikpapan, West Kutai and Kutai Kartanegara. Meanwhile, Achmad-Hadi only won in Nunukan.
"To be sure, we will wait for the final result which will be announced by KPUD on November 7," Awang said, adding that he was sure he would win the election.
Separately, it was predicted on Thursday that Fauzi Bahar, the incumbent candidate for the Padang Mayoralty election, who ran with Mahyeldi Ansharullah (the South Sumatra legislative council's deputy chairman), would win by as they had garnered 155,838 eligible voters or 51.51 percent.
The pair, nominated by PAN and PKS, defeated four other pairs of candidates.
The other candidates were Yusman Kasim-Yul Akhyari Sastra, who were endorsed by the Golkar Party, PPP and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and had won 66,258 votes or 21.90 percent; Jasrial-Muchlis, backed by the Crescent Star Party (PBB), received 46,907 votes or 15.50 percent.
Pairs of independent candidates Ibrahim-Murlis Muhammad had 17,092 votes or 5.65 percent and Mudrika-Dahnil Aswad achieved 16,436 votes or 4.43 percent.
The Padang KPUD chairman, Endang Mulyani, said the final result would be announced next week as officials were still waiting for the results from the other four polling stations.
Based on temporary results, more than 40 percent of eligible voters (302,531 out of 539,660) did not vote in the 1,491 polling stations that were spread out across Padang city in South Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the Rote Ndao KPUD in East Nusa Tenggara disclosed that the regency election here would go a second round as none of the five pairs of candidates succeeded in winning at least 50 percent of the votes.
The two pairs that will compete on November 24 are Christian Nehemia Dillak-Zacharias Paulus Manafe and Lens Haning-Marthen Luther Saek.
Belu regent Joachim Lopez, who ran in the election together with Ludovikus Taolin (the Belu legislative council's deputy chairman), are likely to win the race and lead the regency during the 2008-2013 period.
The pair that was nominated by a coalition of parties, including the Democratic Party and the Nationhood Democratic Party (PDK), won 35,000 votes or 30.09 percent.
Yemris Fointuna contributed to this report from Kupang
