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Golkar dominates South Sulawesi polls
Regent candidates backed by the Golkar Party will likely secure five top posts in 10 South Sulawesi regencies that hosted direct regional elections on June 23
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egent candidates backed by the Golkar Party will likely secure five top posts in 10 South Sulawesi regencies that hosted direct regional elections on June 23.
As of Thursday, six of the Local General Elections Commissions (KPUD) in the 10 regencies had completed final counts.
The five Golkar tickets are Ichsan Yasin Limpo-Abdul Razak Badjidu in Gowa regency; Syahrir Wahab-Syaiful Arif in Selayar regency;
Andi Hatta Marakarma-Muhammad Thoriq Husler in East Luwu regency; Andi Isdris Syukur-Andi Anwar Aksa in Barru regency; and Syamsuddin A. Hamid-Abdul Rahman Assagaf in Pangkajene Kepulauan (Pangke) regency.
In Maros regency, the Muhammad Hatta Rahmad ticket — backed by the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Star Crescent Party (PBB) — won the election.
In two other regencies — Bulukumba and North Luwu — elections were sent into a second round,
with no ticket gaining more than 30 percent of votes.
The second round election was scheduled for Aug. 23.
Chief of the South Sulawesi KPUD, Jayadi Nas, said that elections in two other regencies — Tana Toraja and Soppeng — would proceed according to schedule despite recent protests that disrupted the KPUDs’ efforts to tally votes.
The protests burned ballot papers and other KPUD documents.
He said there was no need to repeat the elections in the two regencies as had been demanded by
supporters of the losing tickets.
“Elections in Tana Toraja and Soppeng will continue,” Jayadi said in Makassar on Thursday.
In Tana Toraja, protesters set fire to stacks of ballot papers in 14 districts, while in Soppeng, a mob incinerated a KPUD office and two district offices.
Jayadi said that two members of the provincial KPUD and Tana Toraja had gone to Jakarta to consult with the central KPU about how to proceed with the vote counting given the damages.
“After getting technical guidelines from the central KPU, we will then set a schedule to count the votes in the two regencies,” Jayadi said.
Responding to the protesters’ demand for new elections in the two regencies due to alleged vote rigging, Jayadi said that there was no reason to meet the demand.
He said that those unhappy with the results could take legal action He said that holding new elections would set a bad precedent for other regions.
“There will be no new elections. It will set a bad example for other regions that are also holding
regional elections,” Jayadi said.
“[Such decision] will make [other protesters] demand the same thing. If we allow it to happen, the problem will go on and on,” he said.
