The Jakarta Post, May 26, 2006
Ambon mayor wins reelection
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Markus Jopie Papilaja has won a second term as Ambon's mayor, despite allegations
of violations during the May 15 election in the Maluku provincial capital.
Fileo Pistos Noija, a lawyer for losing candidate Hendrik Hattu, interrupted final vote
counting late Monday and demanded the process be stopped. He said Hendrik had
filed a similar request May 17 with the Ambon General Elections Commission
(KPUD), but the KPUD had failed to respond.
"I suspect there's a problem within the KPUD," Hendrik said, adding that his team had
found evidence of election violations.
KPUD member Nus Kainama said Hattu needed to prove the allegation in court.
Candidate John Malaiholo's campaign chief, Munir Kairoti, asked the KPUD to
continue with the vote count and suggested that those who did not support the
process should leave the meeting.
Hattu left, along with members of the Louhenapessy and Marasabessy camps.
"We will not postpone the vote count since there has not been a violation of
regulations," Kainama said.
According to the final count, Markus and his running mate, businesswoman Olivia
Latuconsina, garnered 52,195 votes or 36.12 percent of the total 145,777 votes cast.
Richard Louhenapessy and Syarif Hadler finished second, with 40,167 votes or 27.79
percent, while Hendrik Hattu and Iskandar Walla were third with 21,513 votes.
Made Rachman Marasabessy and Aloysius Leisubun received 18,505 votes while
Malaiholo and Irma Betaubun came in last with 12,143 votes, or 8.4 percent of the
ballots cast.
Markus and Olivia, who were endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P, are the first democratically elected leaders of Ambon.
Markus was first appointed by the government as mayor of the city, which was rocked
by three-year sectarian conflict that began in 1999 and left more than 5,000 people
dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.
With the completion of the vote counting, the KPUD issued a decree naming Markus
mayor and Olivia deputy mayor.
"We are only waiting for the Ambon City Council to approve the result," KPUD
member Kainama said.
Dissatisfied candidates, he said, have 17 days to contest the election results.
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