Friday, February 27, 2009

Soekarwo wins in E. Java for 2nd time, Khofifah still defiant

Indra Harsaputra and ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Surabaya | Sat, 01/31/2009 1:17 PM | Headlines

Despite allegations of numerous violations, the results of the gubernatorial vote recount and revote on Madura Island, East Java, have given a slim victory to Soekarwo and his running mate Saifullah Yusuf to lead the province over the next five years.

Total vote tallies from the three Madura regencies of Pamekasan, Bangkalan and Sampang gave Soekarwo 50.11 percent of all votes in the province, or 7,660,861 votes, while two-time loser Khofifah Indar Parawansa and her running mate Mudjiono took 7,626,757 votes, or 49.89 percent.

The tallies were conducted Friday by the East Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) and witnessed by representatives from the two rival candidates.

Khofifah's camp raised interruptions and objections, including over the lists of eligible voters in all regencies and municipalities during the second round and the vote rerun, and the issuance of a duplicate decision on the vote recount in Pamekasan regency, and finally declined to sign off on the results of the summing up.

KPUD chairman Wahyudi Purnomo said the polling body would submit the results to the East Java Legislative Council, the President and the home minister.

Scores of Bangkalan residents staged a peaceful rally outside the recount venue, where 500 police officers had been deployed to beef up security during the tallying.

Muhammad Mirdasy, Khofifah's campaign team secretary, said his camp had prepared all the evidence to support its rejection of the results, with witnesses already briefed to testify at the Constitutional Court.

"Before and during the revote, we found numerous violations that we have compiled in support of our complaints to the General Elections Commission *KPU* and the Constitutional Court," he said.

Team lawyer Mochammad Rachmatullah said he was preparing to file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court within the next three days.

Both candidates have been given three days, until Monday, in which to accept or reject the final outcome of the protracted election.

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