Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel Irwandi Yusuf and running-mate Muhammad Nazar won a landslide victory in the first direct election for governor in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, the province's Independent Elections Committee announced Friday.

In the final vote counting, the pair won 768,745 votes, or 38.20 percent, of 2,012,370 ballots counted across the province. The result was expected after initial polling on voting day indicated Irwandi, who contested the election as an independent, had won.

"Irwandi Yusuf... won based on the final vote counting we made," committee chairman Muhammad Jaffar told The Jakarta Post.

The announcement was made earlier than the scheduled date of Jan. 2. Irwandi's large win means the result is final and there will be no second round of elections.

"Aceh is suffering from massive floods. All regencies and cities have submitted their results to the provincial center," Jaffar said explaining the early announcement.

Eight pairs of candidates contested the Dec. 11 elections, which were held more than a year after the government and GAM signed a landmark peace deal in August 2005. The agreement ended 29 years of bloody conflict in the province that killed at least 15,000 people.

"Being elected as Aceh governor makes me feel scared. I am scared because there is so much I have to deal with," Irwandi said on hearing the announcement.

Analysts say the new leadership must reduce widespread unemployment in the province and speed up the creation of housing for thousands who are still homeless two years after the tsunami hit.

Officials in charge of rebuilding Aceh say 79,000 houses in the province will be built by March, but many completed houses are empty because of inadequate supporting infrastructure. Around 50,000 tsunami survivors still live in temporary wooden barracks.

Government officials have played down suggestions a victory by a GAM candidate could threaten the peace. Meanwhile, analysts have raised fears that legislators from national parties, which dominate the provincial assembly, may make it hard for Irwandi to govern.

But Golkar, the largest party in the House, said this would not be the case. "We congratulate Irwandi on his victory. The election was held peacefully and democratically and we all have to honor the results," deputy chief Ferry Mursyidan Baldan told Reuters.