Banda Aceh. Several civil society groups in Aceh have said Wednesday’s legislative elections in the semi-autonomous province were marred by incidences of violence and “money politics” — a frequently used synonym for vote buying.
The Aceh Election Network — an umbrella organization consisting of non-government organizations and civil society groups including Acehnese Civil Society Task Force (ACSTF), Banda Aceh Legal Aid Foundation and Aceh Women Solidarity — issued statements criticizing Wednesday’s vote.
“The civil society in Aceh regrets that the second election after the peace treaty was not free from intimidation and money politics — practices that have damaged increasing autonomy in Aceh,” Ilham Syahputra from the ACSTF said on Friday, referring to a 2005 treaty signed between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government.
Ilham said an election observer from his organization had reported to the local elections supervisory body a legislative candidate distributing cash door to door in Labuhan Haji, South Aceh.
Roys Vahlevi, the secretary general of Aceh NGO Forums, said the group had also found several cases of intimidation by members of the Aceh Party (PA) in Syamtalira Bayu subdistrict, North Aceh.
“Their people guarded the polling booths, forcing voters to cast their vote for the party — and some even handed over ballots that had already been punched before,” he said.
In Aceh Besar, some PA supporters had used intimidation at polling stations, Roys claimed, while similar election violations had taken place in Bireun, Pidie and East Aceh.
The head of the Aceh Election Supervisory Body (Panwaslu), Asqalani, said he would investigate every report providing there was sufficient evidence to substantiate each complaint.
Asqalani said Panwaslu had received 34 reports by Friday afternoon of alleged violations from 13 districts in the province.
The alleged instances of electoral violations were preceded by isolated instances of violence in the run up to the poll.
Three people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old infant, were killed in Aceh after unidentified gunmen fired on a car decked out with political banners.
Bireun Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Ali Khadafi said the victims were riding in a car covered in pictures associated with the Aceh Party when attackers suddenly fired shots at the car at an intersection in Geulanggang Tenguh village in the Kota Juang subdistrict.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/34-election-violations-reported-aceh/
