Regional elections were held in Aceh

Aceh

Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...

 on 11 December 2006 after a peace treaty had been signed between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement

Free Aceh Movement

The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...

 on 15 August 2005, ending the Insurgency in Aceh

Insurgency in Aceh

The insurgency in Aceh was waged by the Free Aceh Movement between 1976 and 2005 in order to obtain independence from Indonesia. Destruction caused by the armed conflicts and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought a peace deal and an end to the insurgency....

.

Candidates

There were eight pairs of candidates for the governor and deputy governor posts:

• Irwandi Yusuf
  Irwandi Yusuf
  Irwandi Yusuf , is the current Governor of the Indonesian province of Aceh. He won the 2006 Aceh regional election as an independent candidate , along with Muhammad Nazar, S. Ag...
  
   and Muhammad Nazar
  Muhammad Nazar
  Muhammad Nazar, S.Ag. , is current Vice-Governor of Aceh, Indonesia for the 2007-2012 term in office...
  
  , supported by much of the Free Aceh Movement
  Free Aceh Movement
  The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
  
  .
• Humam Hamid and Hasbi Abdullah of the United Development Party
  United Development Party
  The United Development Party , sometimes translated as Development Unity Party is a political party in Indonesia. It is an islamic party and currently led by Suryadharma Ali.-Origins:...
  
  .
• Abdul Malik Raden and Sayed Fuad Zakaria of Golkar
  Golkar
  The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
  
  .
• Azwar Abubakar
  Azwar Abubakar
  Hajji Azwar Abubakar is the current Administrative Reform Minister of Indonesia.-Biography:Abubakar was born in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on 21 June 1952. He received a bachelor's degree in architecture from the Bandung Institute of Technology, later receiving a master's degree in management from...
  
   and Mohamad Nasir Djamil, National Trust Party and Prosperous Justice Party.
• Dr Ghazali Abas Adan and Salahuddin Al Fata, independents.
• Lieutenant-General (Retired) Tamlicha Ali, Reformation Star Party.

Results

A sample poll by the Indonesia Survey Institute showed former rebel leader Irwandi Yusuf leading on a turnout of 85%.

• Yusuf: 39%
• Hamid: 16%
• Malik Raden: 14%
• Abubakar: 11%
• Abas Adan: 7%
• Tamlicha: 4%

Final results were made public on 29 December 2006:

• Yusuf: 38.20%
• Hamid: 16.62%
• Malik Raden: ??% (third place)