Related: Poll starts in Aceh, Indonesia

An Acehnese woman writes her ballot at a polling station in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2006. (Xinhua Photo/Zhang Jun) Photo Gallery >>>

    BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Two quick counts showed ex-rebel senior member Irawandi Yusuf won in the first-direct gubernatorial election in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday.

    The counts held by the leading Lingkaran Survey Indonesia (LSI)and the Aceh-based Jurdil indicated that the pairs of Irawandi Yusuf and Muhammad Nazar got respectively 39.27 percent and 38.57 percent of total votes.

    "The pair of Irwandi Yusuf and Muhammad Nazar will be the next governor of Aceh," said Tengku Ardiansyah, spokesman of the Aceh Jurdil.

    Two pairs with military background got the least support, which both surveys showed no more than five percent.

    Director of the LSI Denny J.A. said that being an independent candidate and his concern over the fate of Acehnese might contribute to Yusuf's win.

    "Irwandi has shown that he understand the problem in the fields," said Denny.

    Sydney Jones, director of the Crisis Management Group said that if the vote obtained by Yusuf was combined with some 11.07 percent vote according to the LSI and 10.1 percent according to the Aceh Jurdil gained by another GAM pair, it would make the ex-rebel get more than 50 percent of the votes.

    "It is strong enough to lead," she told Xinhua.

    Irwandi Yusuf had been a special staff of contra-intelligence of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) from 2003 to 2004. He was a GAM military wing from 2001 to 2003.

    He was then detained with the status of war prisoner in Banda Aceh, the capital of the province from 2003 to 2004.

    Yusuf had been a negotiator with Jakarta from 2001 to 2002.

    Commenting on the result, Yusuf said it indicates that Acehnese want a fundamental change in all aspects of life and governance.

    "This is the dream of Acehnese, and it will be a hard work for me," he said.

    Yusuf said he wants to put a top priority on the economic development and acceleration of the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation in the northern tip of the Sumatra island.

    He also promised to listen more to Acehnese people rather than other parties, such as GAM leader in exile.

    Yusuf said he wanted Jakarta to give authorities to the Acehnese as it was mentioned in the peace deal between the government and the GAM in Helsinki, Finland on August 15, 2005, inan effort to end a three-decade bloodshed that killed over 15,000 people, most of them civilians.

    The GAM spokesman and negotiator Nur Juli, who lives in Malaysia and now is visiting the province, said that the victory was hailed by people in the fields.

    "They were happy," he said.

    "We do not only want the change of regime but also the system," said Juli, "we want to see a democracy, strong law enforcement and justice."

    Over 2.6 million out of 4.2 million Acehnese cast their votes in 8,000 polling stations in the province.

    Among the governor candidates, two of them are from military, two others are former rebels and the rest are government officials, clerics and member of national political party.

    The Indonesian parliament endorsed a landmark law for Aceh province in July, paving the way for the provincial election and giving the province greater autonomy and control over most of its oil and natural gas.

    The GAM had struggled for an independent state since 1976, but then it ruled out its purpose of independence on the peace accord.

    Aceh province was devastated by tsunami on December 26, 2004, leaving over 170,000 people dead or missing.

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