BANDA ACEH: The Aceh Party (PA), a local party established by former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants, has recalled a legislative candidate after discovering he holds a Norwegian passport.

Party chairman Muzakir Manaf said Tuesday he had written to the Aceh Independent Election Commission (KIP) asking for the removal of Iqbal Idris from the list of candidates contesting seats in the provincial legislature. Muzakir said both the Banda Aceh immigration office and the Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta had confirmed Iqbal's Norwegian nationality.

"We expect the KIP to add all votes Iqbal might secure to the Aceh Party," Muzakir said in a statement. The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta confirmed Iqbal was a Norwegian citizen in possession of passport No. 25042038.

Iqbal expressed a desire to give up his Norwegian nationality and sought to regain Indonesian citizenship, the embassy's administrative and consular assistant Lene Mosberg-Stangeby said in an official statement.

"The Norwegian Embassy will start the process of rescinding the citizenship after receiving the confirmation letter from the Indonesian Government," Stangeby said in the statement. - JP

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