Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09JAKARTA699
2009-04-20 00:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Jakarta
Cable title:
ACEH: SLOW VOTE COUNTING FEEDS COMPLAINTS AND INSTABILITY
how-toVZCZCXRO3680 PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHJA #0699 1100051 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 200051Z APR 09 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2158 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0952 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3627 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3479 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 2104 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
UNCLAS JAKARTA 000699
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, INR/EAP
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS AID
USAID FOR ANE/EAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ID
SUBJECT: ACEH: SLOW VOTE COUNTING FEEDS COMPLAINTS AND INSTABILITY
Reftel: A) JAKARTA 0654 B) JAKARTA 0657
UNCLAS JAKARTA 000699
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, INR/EAP
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS AID
USAID FOR ANE/EAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ID
SUBJECT: ACEH: SLOW VOTE COUNTING FEEDS COMPLAINTS AND INSTABILITY
Reftel: A) JAKARTA 0654 B) JAKARTA 0657
1. Summary. While election results in Aceh are being tabulated as
quickly as in other provinces, the stakes and tension level is much
higher given the expected victory of the Aceh Party (PA) at the
provincial parliament (DPRA) level and in a majority of district
councils (DPRK). The past week has seen a large mysterious fire,
district-level demands for a revote, and several protests outside
Election Monitoring Bodies (PANWASLU). Still, Aceh remains peaceful
10 days after elections and the election appears to have been free
and fair. End Summary.
Slow Counting
--------------
2. While the April 9 Legislative Elections in Aceh concluded
peacefully (reftels A and B),sluggish tallying of results have
created uncertainty and room for noisy complaints by parties unhappy
with their performance. As of the morning of April 17 more than
264,000 DPR-RI and 330,000 DPRA ballots had been counted in Aceh,
from an election-day estimate of over 2 million votes cast. While
the rate of progress is not out of line with national rates, (less
than 11 million votes, out of perhaps 120 million total votes, have
been counted nationwide according to National Election Commission
(KPU) website data from April 17) the number of complaints about
electoral violations is increasing rapidly. Although it is not yet
possible to properly forecast results, that fact has not stopped
parties, particularly the local Aceh Party (PA),from making
outrageous claims about its electoral success. Despite mounting
evidence to the contrary, the Aceh Party continues to assert that it
won between 75% and 90% of the vote. In the absence of solid data,
PA's claims are being accepted as correct by some observers and at
the grass roots level.
3. Early estimates based on the ongoing tabulation of the votes cast
show the Aceh Party in the lead for seats in the 69-member DPRA with
38% of the votes for the DPRA ballot. The Democratic Party (PD) is
second with 13.74% of the vote, the Justice and Welfare Party (PKS)
third with 6.37% of the vote and the Golkar Party fourth with 5.72%.
The ballot for the national parliament (in which only national
parties participated) shows PD in the lead with 41.13% and PKS
second with 10.56%, followed by the National Mandate Party (PAN) at
8.67%, and Golkar with 7.18%.
Post Election Troubles
--------------
5. The most serious incident of post-election violence was an April
13 fire which destroyed 22 wooden shop houses in the Simpang Balik
area of Bener Meriah District. According to media reports, Aceh
Governor Irwandi Yusuf called this a case of post-election
intimidation during an April 14 meeting with Indonesian Vice
President Jusuf Kalla. Media reports state that while police have
apprehended several suspects, they are not revealing their
identities.
6. In addition to the suspected arson attack in Bener Meriah, a
PANWASLU office in neighboring Central Aceh district was ransacked
by unknown assailants on the afternoon of April 12. Also, 21 local
and national parties are demanding a revote in Pidie District
because of pre-election intimidation. Different groupings of local
and national parties in Gayo Luwes, Southwest Aceh, South Aceh, and
Singkil Districts, and the cities of Lhokseumawe, Langsa, and
Subussalam have also called for a revote. In most cases the parties
cite PA intimidation against voters and party poll watchers as the
reason to demand a revote, though in some cases parties argue that
deficiencies in voter rolls and problems with ballots were serious
enough to throw the election's validity into question.
7. PA is not party to any of these complaints and KPA Spokesperson
Ibrahim KBS (PA is closely associated with ex-GAM successor
organization KPA and many of its candidates are KPA members) has
asked publicly for all parties to respect the results of the April 9
vote.
HUME
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, INR/EAP
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS AID
USAID FOR ANE/EAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ID
SUBJECT: ACEH: SLOW VOTE COUNTING FEEDS COMPLAINTS AND INSTABILITY
Reftel: A) JAKARTA 0654 B) JAKARTA 0657
1. Summary. While election results in Aceh are being tabulated as
quickly as in other provinces, the stakes and tension level is much
higher given the expected victory of the Aceh Party (PA) at the
provincial parliament (DPRA) level and in a majority of district
councils (DPRK). The past week has seen a large mysterious fire,
district-level demands for a revote, and several protests outside
Election Monitoring Bodies (PANWASLU). Still, Aceh remains peaceful
10 days after elections and the election appears to have been free
and fair. End Summary.
Slow Counting
--------------
2. While the April 9 Legislative Elections in Aceh concluded
peacefully (reftels A and B),sluggish tallying of results have
created uncertainty and room for noisy complaints by parties unhappy
with their performance. As of the morning of April 17 more than
264,000 DPR-RI and 330,000 DPRA ballots had been counted in Aceh,
from an election-day estimate of over 2 million votes cast. While
the rate of progress is not out of line with national rates, (less
than 11 million votes, out of perhaps 120 million total votes, have
been counted nationwide according to National Election Commission
(KPU) website data from April 17) the number of complaints about
electoral violations is increasing rapidly. Although it is not yet
possible to properly forecast results, that fact has not stopped
parties, particularly the local Aceh Party (PA),from making
outrageous claims about its electoral success. Despite mounting
evidence to the contrary, the Aceh Party continues to assert that it
won between 75% and 90% of the vote. In the absence of solid data,
PA's claims are being accepted as correct by some observers and at
the grass roots level.
3. Early estimates based on the ongoing tabulation of the votes cast
show the Aceh Party in the lead for seats in the 69-member DPRA with
38% of the votes for the DPRA ballot. The Democratic Party (PD) is
second with 13.74% of the vote, the Justice and Welfare Party (PKS)
third with 6.37% of the vote and the Golkar Party fourth with 5.72%.
The ballot for the national parliament (in which only national
parties participated) shows PD in the lead with 41.13% and PKS
second with 10.56%, followed by the National Mandate Party (PAN) at
8.67%, and Golkar with 7.18%.
Post Election Troubles
--------------
5. The most serious incident of post-election violence was an April
13 fire which destroyed 22 wooden shop houses in the Simpang Balik
area of Bener Meriah District. According to media reports, Aceh
Governor Irwandi Yusuf called this a case of post-election
intimidation during an April 14 meeting with Indonesian Vice
President Jusuf Kalla. Media reports state that while police have
apprehended several suspects, they are not revealing their
identities.
6. In addition to the suspected arson attack in Bener Meriah, a
PANWASLU office in neighboring Central Aceh district was ransacked
by unknown assailants on the afternoon of April 12. Also, 21 local
and national parties are demanding a revote in Pidie District
because of pre-election intimidation. Different groupings of local
and national parties in Gayo Luwes, Southwest Aceh, South Aceh, and
Singkil Districts, and the cities of Lhokseumawe, Langsa, and
Subussalam have also called for a revote. In most cases the parties
cite PA intimidation against voters and party poll watchers as the
reason to demand a revote, though in some cases parties argue that
deficiencies in voter rolls and problems with ballots were serious
enough to throw the election's validity into question.
7. PA is not party to any of these complaints and KPA Spokesperson
Ibrahim KBS (PA is closely associated with ex-GAM successor
organization KPA and many of its candidates are KPA members) has
asked publicly for all parties to respect the results of the April 9
vote.
HUME