Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The decision of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) not to participate in the upcoming direct election of Aceh governor came as a shock but failed to discourage political parties from involving the former rebels.

The United Development Party (PPP), for one, plans to pair academician Humam Hamid and GAM figure Hasbi Abdullah as candidates for the election, which is expected to be held in October this year.

Deputy secretary of the party's branch in Aceh, M. Gede Salam, said Wednesday the decision was taken following a party meeting to nominate Humam and Hasbi as candidates for governor and deputy governor respectively. "After considering several factors, we feel Hasbi is the right person the deputy governor from PPP," Gede said.

GAM's decision to drop out of the election on Monday came as a surprise after it had officially announced the establishment of a new political party at the end of its three-day meeting last week.

The meeting was attended by about 100 GAM figures, including former top executives in exile Malik Mahmood Al Haytar and Bakhtiar Abdullah, who returned to Aceh earlier this year after many years abroad.

In the meeting, GAM appointed two independent candidates to take part in the next direct gubernatorial election but did not disclose their identities although speculation centered on Hasbi Abdullah and Muhammad Nazar of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA).

But following GAM's surprise decision to drop out of the election – although allowing its members to run as individuals, Nazar said he would still run. "I will still be among the list of candidates because this is our chance. I might run with Nashiruddin bin Ahmad," he told The Jakarta Post.

GAM's spokesman Bakhtiar Abdullah said the decision not to officially take part in the election was intended to give the Acehnese a chance to determine their own leader for the province.

Peace returned in Aceh following the signing of peace deal in August last year between the government and GAM which ended three decades of conflict.

"In the spirit of the memorandum of understanding, all Acehnese who are able to take part in the election can run. As stated in the peace deal, all Acehnese have the right to vote or to be voted for as Aceh's leader," Bakhtiar said.

The statement played down rumors of a conflict of opinion within GAM on the right candidate for the election.

But a source from GAM told the Post that GAM had been divided into two camps, known as the reformist and feudalist, over the naming of the election's candidates. Results of voting to determine a candidate were rejected by the feudalist camp who had decided on Hasbi Abdullah as their candidate, the source said.

The decision was taken to prevent conflict within GAM. "GAM decided not to officially run as it feels that mentally the GAM leaders are ill-prepared to join the election," the source said.