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Election in Dogiyai, Papua, smooth despite concerns
No security issues were reported in the Papuan regency of Dogiyai during voting hours on Wednesday, despite the area being considered prone to conflict.
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Residents of Abepura take part in a voting simulation at a polling station in Asano District of Jayapura, Papua, recently. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)
“Based on observations we made on the ground as well as reports from every district, voting is running safely and orderly,” Adj. Sr. Comr. Semmy Ronny Thabaa, the chief of Nabire Police which also oversees Dogiyai, told The Jakarta Post in Monemani, Dogiyai, on Wednesday.
Residents in 11 regencies and cities in Papua as well as 90 other regions across Indonesia cast their votes in the country’s second-ever simultaneous regional elections on Wednesday.
(Read also: Police chief vows stern security approach on election day)
There were concerns about security in Dogiyai after the candidacies of two candidate pairs, namely Apedius Mote-Freddi Annu and incumbent Herman Auwe-Stefanus Wakey, had been annulled by local election organizers.
The remaining four pairs in the race are Yacubos Dumapa-Oskar Makai, Anton Yowau-Yanuaris Tigi, Fransesco Tebay-Benediktus Kotouki and Markus Wayne-Angki Goo.
Police deployed 500 personnel to secure the election, including officers seconded from areas outside Papua.
The election in Dogiyai adopts the “noken system,” where tribal leaders lodge one vote to represent every member of their respective community and all the ballots are placed in a noken, a traditional Papuan woven bag.
As a result of this system, the voting process was completed in just a few hours.
There are 129,907 registered eligible voters in Dogiyai, called to cast votes at 292 polling stations. (bbs)
