Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Riots and protests at alleged vote-rigging yesterday greeted the ruling Golkar party's triumph in the legislative election.
The Muslim-backed United Development Party (PPP) demanded a new poll in areas where election counting was done secretly, while a poll watchdog blasted election violations.
Golkar had 78,746,173 of the 106,398,721 valid votes at the latest count, according to the National Elections Institute. President Suharto's party was on course to beat its target of 70 per cent of the vote, up from 68 per cent in the 1992 election. A party spokesman called the margin of victory "surprising".
Thousands of people rioted on the streets of Sampang, the main city on the East Java island of Madura, after the vote count showed Golkar in the lead.
Police said prolonged disturbances lasted into yesterday morning. Mobs attacked government offices, shops and vehicles. Police arrested 24 people.
Madura, off the coast of East Java province, is a Muslim stronghold and has a large concentration of PPP supporters.
Six people were reportedly killed in the unrest.
Hundreds of people attacked an election official in the South Sumatran capital of Lampung, demanding a recount after he announced a massive provisional lead for Golkar. One man was knifed in the attack.
Residents in the industrial region of Tangerang near Jakarta beat up a group of 60 voters from outside the area who said they were paid to vote for Golkar. The rioters burned of ballot boxes, Media Indonesia reported.
In the troubled province of East Timor, the death toll from election eve violence rose to 18 people, according to East Timor police.
Residents said calm had returned to the capital Dili.
PPP secretary-general Tosari Widjaya said the party was asking for a new poll "in all areas where the ballots were not counted openly".
"This is a most serious problem," he said. Mr Widjaya said scores of ballot boxes were not counted in the polling booths, but were taken to sub-district government offices to be counted behind closed doors in more than 10 provinces. The areas included Madura, South Sumatra, West Java and Riau.
"If the Government does not respond to our charges, we may consider not signing the election results," said PPP chairman Jusuf Syakir.
An election official said last night voting would be re-run "soon" at 13 polling boths on Madura.
The Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) cited multiple voting and intimidation of party monitors. "There is an indication that there were systematic violations and fraud," said KIPP chairman Goenawan Mohammad.
The group said that, in the 609 polling stations it monitored in 13 cities, there was evidence of double voting in 15 per cent of the places and violent incidents in six per cent of polling areas.
"In 21 per cent of the polling stations we have evidence that puts the results into question," said KIPP Secretary General Mulyana Kusumah. Party monitors were forced to leave 7.7 per cent of the polling stations and votes were not counted openly in seven per cent of the areas where KIPP's 8,000 volunteers were.
In 21 per cent of the polling stations we have evidence that puts the results into question