Independent candidates win Kupang mayoral election
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang | Archipelago | Thu, June 28 2012, 2:51 PM
Independent Kupang mayoral candidate pair Yonas Salean - Hermanus Man. (Tribunnews.com/Pos Kupang/Frans Krowin)
Independent Kupang mayoral candidate pair Yonas Salean-Hermanus Man were named Kupang mayor- and deputy mayor-elect for the 2012–2017 period after winning the second round of the Kupang mayoral election on Wednesday evening.
The pair secured just over 57 percent of the vote, with 88,696 votes out of the 155,111 cast.
Rival pair Jefri Riwu Kore and Kristo Blasin, who were supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Democratic Party, the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party and the Regional Union Party, trailed their opponents by 14 percentage points, garnering only 66,415 votes.
Kupang Regional General Election Committee chief Daniel Bangu Ratu said that “we plan to release an official statement sometime this week.”
Yonas claimed that the victory was the result of people’s trust.
“We are an independent pair. Most of our campaign funds came from residents,” he said.
Separately, pair Jefri and Kristo said that they respected the residents’ choice and that they wished to see improvements in the city.
“We congratulate the mayor- and the deputy mayor-elect,” Jefri told a press conference.
Meanwhile, the post-election security situation in the city reportedly remained stable as normal daily activity resumed. (swd)
