VZCZCXRO4984
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #0657/01 1000508
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100508Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2091
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000657 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, DRL; NSC FOR 
EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ID
SUBJECT: ACEH PEACE BOLSTERED BY ELECTIONS 
 
REF: JAKARTA 654 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1. (U) This message was coordinated with Consulate Medan.  It 
is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please handle accordingly. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Aceh Province confounded those worried 
about violence on election day by carrying out legislative 
elections notable only for lack of incident.  Early informal 
poll indicators are that the party of former separatists, 
Partai Aceh (PA), could have a majority in the provincial 
legislature (DPRD).  The Aceh Governor is pleased with how 
the election was conducted but remains vigilant that the vote 
count proceeds fairly in coming days.  Overall, election day 
gave a strong dose of confidence for peace in Aceh.  Septel 
reviews the situation nationally.  END SUMMARY. 
 
GOOD NEWS IN ACEH 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Despite a tense run-up to elections in Aceh, polls 
ran smoothly throughout the province on April 9, according to 
observers, NGOs, journalists and officials we contacted on 
April 10.  More than three million voters went to 62,000 
polling stations to vote for 38 national parties, plus the 
six local parties allowed to contest local legislative 
bodies--a process unique to Aceh under the terms of the 2005 
Helsinki peace MOU.  Governor Irwandi Yusuf told the press, 
"I was confident that the situation would be safe.  Although 
there are some high-risk areas, these do not reflect the 
province as a whole.  Those who plan to jeopardize the 
elections likely will be shunned by the community." 
 
OBSERVERS AGREE ELECTION PEACEFUL 
 
¶4.  (SBU) This view was reaffirmed by many authoritative 
organizations.  National Democratic Institute (NDI) data from 
600 polling stations representing a cross-sample of Aceh 
found little election day intimidation and no violence.  A 
ConGen Medan survey of local officials, journalists and NGOs 
confirmed this.  The Carter Center, with seven observers 
spread across key areas, said it detected "none of the red 
flags" expected when elections are flawed.  The Japanese 
Embassy told us the "election was run professionally." 
Former conflict hotspots, where election-related violence 
occurred in the run-up to elections, were all peaceful with 
no major complaints. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) At the provincial legislature (DPRD) and district 
legislature (DPRK) levels, the PA (main party of former Free 
Aceh Movement or GAM), got a clear majority of the vote along 
the densely populated east and west coasts, PA strongholds. 
Two other local parties are competing for runner-up honors: 
SIRA (party of Vice Governor Muhammad Nazar) and the Aceh 
People's Party (PRA). 
 
MINOR FLAWS 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Only small glitches were reported.  Spoiled ballots 
delayed voting in some districts but officials resolved the 
problems.  Thousands of voters were not registered in some 
communities in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh and 
western Aceh, but journalists told ConGen these were 
primarily newly arrived migrants who were still listed in 
their home districts.  SIRA Party claimed PA forced SIRA 
witnesses out of the polling stations in several places.  PA 
said anti-PA propaganda was disseminated near polling places 
in Southwest Aceh District the night before elections, a 
violation of rules.  Forum LSM (an Aceh NGO coalition) told a 
poloff observer that some voters were intimidated by persons 
standing in line behind them.  Other intimidation was mostly 
by PA against several other leading parties. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Governor told ConGen that he is still wary that 
the vote could be manipulated during the recapitulation 
stage--the vote is counted first in front of witnesses at the 
polling places and then recounted at the sub-district level. 
Witnesses get tired and are less vigilant at this stage. 
Irwandi also thanked ConGen for all the elections-related 
training the USG provided and Mission's observation support. 
 
YUDHOYONO PEACE STANCE POPULAR 
 
¶8.  (SBU) President Yudhoyono's Partai Demokrat (PD) strongly 
dominated the Aceh vote for the national legislature, early 
poll organizations reported to ConGen.  PD did very well in 
PA strongholds, people identifying Yudhoyono with Aceh peace 
 
JAKARTA 00000657  002 OF 002 
 
 
and support for the Helsinki peace MOU process.  The 
Muslim/secular party National Mandate Party (PAN) polled 
second, followed by the Islamic-oriented Prosperous Justice 
Party (PKS), which did well in major cities, particularly 
Banda Aceh. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The vote count for the local Aceh legislatures will 
not be announced until the evening of April 10.  This 
announcement will signal whether PA will take control of the 
provincial parliament, a development that makes some 
government officials nervous because of an exaggerated belief 
that PA would pursue a referendum for Aceh independence. 
Another repercussion of a strong PA showing would be 
reinvigorated calls for a separate province in the central 
highlands of Aceh by the anti-GAM ethnic Gayo and Javanese 
population, which dominate in that region.  On the other 
hand, a poorer than expected showing by PA would upset the 
more strident ex-GAM members. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Over all, the elections seem to have contributed 
greatly to continued peace and stability in Aceh, but there 
is still a real need to observe developments in the coming 
days after the final results become clear. Septel reviews the 
situation nationally. 
HEFFERN