Aceh Election in 2012
On 9 April 2012 Irwandi lost the re-election campaign that would have allowed him to continue as governor of Aceh. Irwandi claimed voter fraud and voter intimidation was the cause of his loss. Zaini Abdullah, the new governor of Aceh elected to replace Irwandi, took office on 25 June 2012. Zaini, then 72, was the former GAM foreign minister in exile in Sweden before the signing of the 2005 Indonesian government-GAM peace agreement in Helsinki. Deputy Governor Muzakir Manaf, then 48, was the former commander of GAM’s Armed Wing.
Despite a guarantee from Deputy Governor Muzakir Manaf that Irwandi's safety would be guaranteed if he attended the inauguration, following the event Irwandi was surrounded and beaten about the face and head by uniformed Aceh Party supporters. He was accused of being a traitor to GAM, the Acehnese militia, because of his negotiations and compromises with the Indonesian government. Irwandi's governorship had been as an Independent candidate, not with his former rebel comrades; a fact exploited by the Aceh Party (PA) during the 2012 election campaign in order to sway popular opinion in their direction. Irwandi stated that the PA's propaganda implying that he betrayed GAM was the cause of the attack by party supporters. Only one arrest was made.
Read more about this topic: Irwandi Yusuf
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