Jakarta – Elections in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province have swept a former rebel leader to victory, unofficial results show as officials tot up the ballots.
The polls, consolidating a peace accord after nearly three decades of war, were hailed by UN chief Kofi Annan as "historic" and by the European Union.
Vote tallies so far showed Irwandi Yusuf, the former spokesman of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and his running mate Muhammad Nazar likely to secure a landslide victory for governor and deputy. They won around 39 percent of Monday's vote, leaving their nearest rivals trailing on 17 percent.
Election observers Jurdil Aceh said the polls for provincial governor and deputy – previously directly appointed by central government – and district heads were peaceful and transparent, with turnout a high 85 percent.
The UN chief said the "historic balloting" was the first since the peace agreement signed in Helsink last year between the Jakarta government and the rebels.
Annan "calls on all parties to respect the results of these elections in order to help consolidate the peace process, which aims to build a secure and prosperous Aceh within a united and democratic Indonesia," his office added.
The European Union welcomed the progress endorsed by the elections, saying it hoped that they would "contribute to the further consolidation of the peace process to the benefit of the people of Aceh and the whole Indonesia."
Analysts dismissed fears the Indonesian government would oppose the rebel victory, saying Jakarta had showed its commitment to the peace process.
"It is the challenge for the central government, to prove that they would remain consistent to the Helsinki pact," said Hari Prihatono, director of the Pro Patria institute pro-democracy group.
"The (peace) process is on track and it is very unlikely that it would not continue otherwise," Prihatono said. He warned that if the government disregarded the results it would face the consequences in the 2009 national elections.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono convened a late-night meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and several cabinet ministers to discuss the results, a report said. A presidential spokesman was not immediately available to comment.
Indonesian newspapers hailed the elections as marking the end of violence but warned the province faced many challenges on the road to lasting peace.
"The people of Aceh, who for over 30 years were chained by bloody conflicts, have proved that they can be peaceful and maintain (their own) security," the Media Indonesia daily said in its editorial.
The conservative Kompas newspaper said a successful election was only the first hurdle in the region.
"Repeatedly we have said that democracy should not be merely about civil and political rights. No less important... is the social, economic and cultural rights. Democracy will not mean much if it does not help the people meet its basic needs," Kompas said.
"My priority is the grassroots community," Yusuf told reporters, labelling the vote as "a milestone for the future of Aceh".
Yusuf, who was jailed in 2003 for rebellion, said he had never imagined he would be governor one day. "What I did imagine when I was in prison is how to get out as soon as possible," he said. He eventually fled when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004, flooding his prison.
The giant waves killed more than 168,000 people in Aceh and compelled the rebels and Jakarta to reassess their priorities after decades of bloodshed.
Under the peace deal, the rebels laid down their weapons, Jakarta withdrew non-local troops and police from the province at the northern tip of Sumatra, and granted an amnesty to GAM and political prisoners.
In return for GAM dropping its call for independence, Jakarta granted the resource-rich region greater autonomy and allowed the establishment of local political parties, a first for Indonesia.