Hotli Simanjuntak and Andi Hajramurni, Banda Aceh/Makassar – Incumbent President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the majority of votes in several previously conflict-torn provinces that were expected to go to Jusuf Kalla because of his role in peace negotiations.
According to the results of the Indonesian Survey Circle's (LSI) quick count, Yudhoyono received an overwhelming 93.99 percent of votes in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, with Kalla and Megawati Soekarnoputri gaining just 4.44 percent and 1.56 percent respectively.
Based on preliminary results from the Aceh chapter of the Independent Elections Commission (KIP), Yudhoyono, popularly called SBY, secured 92.32 percent of the nearly 645,000 votes tabulated by a number of regencies and municipalities in Aceh.
Yudhoyono's domination in Aceh indicates that many Acehnese people remain drawn to Yudhoyono, despite the fact that some in Aceh believe that Kalla was the initiator of the regions' peace talks.
"I voted for Yudhoyono given his good performance as president," said Kamil, a resident in Lambira, Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh.
"Although Kalla played an important role in the Aceh peace agreement, Yudhoyono was still the president then. I'm sure Kalla's involvement in the peace talks would not have been successful without Yudhoyono," Kamil added.
According to Kamil, the Aceh peace pact was reached thanks to Yudhoyono and Kalla's teamwork.
"I was very disappointed when they broke up and chose to compete against each other in the presidential race," said Kamil, adding the claims made by Yudhoyono's and Kalla's campaign teams about forging peace in the region had not influenced his decision.
In Maluku and North Maluku provinces, another region which has seen religious conflict in the past, Yudhoyono again defeated Kalla by a clear majority.
Although Kalla's success in South Sulawesi, his home province, was expected from the beginning, the chairman of Golkar Party failed to reach his highest targeted number of votes.
Based on preliminary vote counting conducted by the South Sulawesi General Elections Commission and quick counts by the LSI and Adhiyaksa Supporting House, Kalla garnered between 64 and 66 percent of votes. Yudhoyono won between 27 and 31 percent, while the Megawati-Prabowo pair secured between 4 and 7 percent.
The Kalla campaign team had set a target of 80 percent, based not only on the fact that he is a local, but that his Golkar party received the highest number of votes in April's legislative election.
However, chairman of Golkar's South Sulawesi regional executive board, Ilham Arief Siradjuddin, explained the target of 80 percent was their most optimistic, and that the party expected him to get no less than 60 percent – putting the 66-64 percent he received in the end within their target range.
"Our target was between 60 and 80 percent. In reality we were still able to get around 65 percent, meaning our target has been reached, although not to its maximum," said Ilham, who is also the mayor of Makassar.
Ilham said the voting reflected the political maturity of the people of South Sulawesi, as they were not swayed by rumors or ethnocentrism.