Former rebel wins surprise victory in Aceh province

INDONESIA: A former separatist rebel jailed by Jakarta won a surprise victory in the first democratic elections for governor of Indonesia's Aceh province, according to unofficial results.

Irwandi Yusuf, a former spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), won 39 percent of the vote, the director of the survey group which conducted the sample quick count told AFP.

"I'm certain there will not be a second round because it's a win by a large amount," said Denny Januar Ali of LSI (Indonesia Survey Institute).

Yusuf was jailed in 2003 for rebellion but escaped when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004 and flooded his prison.

The giant waves killed more than 168,000 people in Aceh and forced the rebels and Jakarta to reassess their priorities after decades of bloodshed.

A historic peace agreement signed last year paved the way for Monday's election for provincial governor and deputy - previously appointed by the central government - and district heads. Acehnese flocked to polling stations to vote in the elections they hope will cement the region's path to peace after three decades of war.

"We want this election to really proceed well because a peaceful settlement of the Aceh problem, an Aceh which God willing would build (its future) well and within the large family of Indonesia, has been our choice," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta. "It's an extraordinary result.

Secondly, there are going to be people challenging the result on technical grounds from other candidates, and the interesting thing is going to be what Jakarta says," Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group think-tank told AFP.

"Will Jakarta say 'Fine, welcome, let's see how you govern', which is what I hope they will say, or will they throw up their hands in horror and say 'Look at what we've done and we'd better not do this anywhere else in the country, especially Papua'," she said.

Aceh, Tuesday, AFP