Jakarta – The number of political parties rejecting the legitimacy of the legislative elections has grown and so have their demands. Not satisfied with a recount, they are now calling for a new election.

Citing endemic vote-rigging, 19 of the 24 political parties that contested the April 5 polls rejected the results on Saturday and called for the General Election Commission (KPU) to call a new election. Their move was slammed by analysts, who said it was motivated by short-term political gains.

Spearheaded by the National Awakening Party (PKB), the political vehicle of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, the parties held the KPU accountable. "Due to rampant irregularities before and after the elections, we reject the election results and demand they are nullified," lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, the spokesman for the grouping, said.

"We have set up a crisis centre that will collect data on violations of the election regulations. We will meet with the KPU on Tuesday to put forward our case."

On Friday, 17 political parties demanded that the KPU recount all ballots tallied electronically as the parties were not involved in monitoring the counting process.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the Democratic Party and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB), however, are supporting the electronic vote. It is not clear which other party has not asked for a recount.

Local and international election observers have said that the elections were conducted peacefully and in a transparent manner despite logistical problems.

Mr Syamsuddin Haris, an analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said the parties' move was counter-productive to building a more stable democracy. Political observer Dewi Fortuna Anwar said: "I regret the fact that the disgruntled political parties have acted so selfishly."