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olitical tensions were expected to calm gradually in the once-restive Aceh after parties agreed to accept nominations of independent candidates on the condition that the gubernatorial election would be rescheduled.

In a meeting with the Aceh and Papua Desk at the House of Representatives, all local and national party functionaries in Aceh retracted their protests against the Constitutional Court’s controversial verdict on independent candidates to prevent the regulatory conflict from igniting into a greater conflict.

Mawardi, spokesman for the local and national parties, said the Acehnese didn’t want any more conflicts that would bring more heartache to Acehnese people. Therefore, all parties agreed to the Constitutional Court’s proposal and accepted the nomination of independent candidates, but they insisted that the election, slated for Nov. 14, 2011, must be rescheduled to amend the bylaw on local elections.

On the eve of the gubernatorial race, political conditions intensified as current Governor Irwandi Yusuf said he would seek reelection for a second term, which was not allowed under the 2006 Aceh Administration Law.

The law said that independents could only run once to allow former Free Aceh Merdeka (GAM) fighters and politicians who had not yet joined a party to run in the 2006 election.

By request of Acehnese people supporting Irwandy’s reelection, the Constitutional Court annulled the bylaw limiting independents to the first direct election in 2006.

Abdullah Saleh of the Aceh Party and Karimun Usman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle said the Aceh provincial legislature on Wednesday had rejected the Constitutional Court’s verdict and parties had previously agreed to boycott the upcoming election.

“We don’t want the current regulatory dispute to turn into a social conflict that would make Aceh a killing field again. We have to show our statesmanship for the sake of the Acehnese people,” said Karimun.

Abdullah said the parties called for the election to be rescheduled to allow the provincial legislative council adequate time to amend the bylaw.

“We have proposed that the election be postponed for two to four months, or six months at the longest,” he said, adding that his party, which won 50 percent of the votes with the Irwandy Yusuf-Muhammad Nazar ticket in the 2006 election, would nominate current Vice Governor Muhammad Nazar in the next election.

Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, who headed the Aceh and Papua Desk, appreciated the Acehnese politicians’ statesmanship and pledged to coordinate with the government — especially the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister and the home minister — to listen to the parties’ political aspirations.

“We will make contact with the two ministers to follow up the Aceh parties’ political aspirations and we will ask the home minister and the General Election Commission (KPU) to make adjustments in line with implementing the election steps in the province,” he said.