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Jakarta Post

East Kalimantan gears up to choose new governor

The people of East Kalimantan, one of Indonesia's richest provinces, are scheduled to vote on Monday to elect their new governor for the 2008-2013 period

Nurni Sulaiman and Hyginus Hardoyo (The Jakarta Post)
Balikpapan
Sun, May 25, 2008

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East Kalimantan gears up to choose new governor

The people of East Kalimantan, one of Indonesia's richest provinces, are scheduled to vote on Monday to elect their new governor for the 2008-2013 period.

Voters will choose from four pairs of candidates for the governor and running mate; Awang Faroek Ishak and Farid Wadjdy, supported by the coalition of the National Mandate Party (PAN); Nusyirwan Ismail and Heru Bambang, backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP); Achmad Amins and Hadi Mulyadi, supported by the coalition of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS); and Jusuf Serang Kasim and Luther Kombong who are backed by the Golkar Party.

"The distribution of election materials is now complete," KPUD Kaltim head Jafar Haruna said Saturday in Samarinda, the capital of the province.

The KPUD has prepared 6,566 polling booths in 10 regencies and four cities throughout the province, to accomodate more than 2.25 million eligible voters, out of an estimated population of 3.21 million in East Kalimantan.

Provincial police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wayan Tjatra said Saturday that almost 5,500 officers would be deployed on Monday.

Jafar said police were anticipating unrest by specific groups of Dayak people, who have aggressively called for the postponement of the elections to accommodate indigenous candidates.

Representatives of the indigenous Dayak, which constitutes nearly 10 percent of the East Kalimantan population, have been disappointed at the absence of candidates representing their people.

According to data from the provincial administration, Javanese form the largest portion of the population (29.55 percent), followed by Bugis (18.26), Banjar (13.94), Kutai (9.21) and others (19.13 percent).

Muslims constitute the largest group in the province, amounting to 85.2 percent of the population, followed by Christians with 13.9 percent, Buddhists 0.65 percent and Hindus with 0.19 percent, data shows.

The KPUD has also prepared a polling booth at Sepinggan International airport in Balikpapan.

Special polling stations have also been erected at hospitals and penitentiaries.

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