Daniel Adoe named as new Kupang mayor

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 05/31/2007 8:48 AM

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

The Kupang General Elections Commission (KPUD) on Wednesday named Daniel Adoe and his running mate Daniel Hurek as the city's new mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.

A plenary session to announce the winner of the May 21 direct mayoral election went forward despite demands for a repeat election poll.

Several groups claimed the commission was responsible for election violations.

Previously, poll workers in Kupang, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara province, reported finding at least 40 filled in ballots before voting began in the mayoralty election.

The winning pair, who were backed by the National Awakening Party (PKB) and seven smaller parties, received 40,801 of the 155,700 votes.

Thousands of the new mayor's supporters welcomed the announcement and held a parade along the city's main street.

However, four losing candidates refused to sign the official letter that named the newly elected mayor and his deputy. They said they would take the dispute to court.

KPUD spokesman Yusak Meok said the losing candidates had 14 days to contest the election result in court.

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