A former GAM (Movement for a Free Aceh) guerrilla will be the new governor of the Indonesian province of Aceh, after winning last Sunday’s historic elections.

GAM Victorious. The inhabitants of the region most devastated by the December 2004 tsunami have chosen Yusuf Irwandi, 46, to be their governor, after he received 39% of the votes in early counting. The next most popular candidate was another ex-rebel, Humam Hamid, who received 17% of the votes. Hamid was the representative of Aceh exiles, the wing of GAM that set up a government in exile during the civil war years from 1976-2005. The early count, conducted by two respected organizations, Jurdil Aceh and the Indonesian Survey Circle, carries a margin of error of 2%. Official confirmation of the results is expected on January 2. 2.6 million people participated in the elections for governor, assistant governor, and mayors, with 82 international observers to verify the conduct of the voting.

Islamic Law. The winner, Irwandi, was rescued from a prison cell during the tsunami, where he was serving a 9-year sentence for being a traitor to the state. His election stunned observers, who knew he was among the favorites but little expected such a strong plurality over the other candidates. The victory makes runoffs superfluous, as one candidate received well over the 25% threshold. The young and middle-aged venerate Irwandi, who campaigned for radical change. After earning a degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Oregon, he returned to Aceh in 1998 to join the opposition movement against an Indonesian government that began its invasion of the natural gas and petroleum-rich province in the 1970s. The former GAM spokesman and movement ideologue is considered a moderate in Aceh, which follows Shariah law and practices a more rigid Islam than any other part of Indonesia. Irwandi was a decisive participant in the negotiations that began in December 2006, after the tsunami killed more than 150,000 inhabitants of the province.

A Dream Becomes Reality. The new governor was the first rebel leader to understand that any deal with the government would have to entail disarmament by the guerrillas. In exchange, the government troops, who had conducted a ferocious offensive in 2002, agreed to withdraw from the province. In the peace treaty signed August 15, 2005, GAM succeeded in securing a government guarantee to conduct free elections, grant regional autonomy, and hand over 70% of profits from the exploitation of the province’s natural resources. Observers reported that the elections were held freely and fairly and in a celebratory atmosphere. “The dream of Aceh has become a reality,” said Irwandi after the non-official results were announced, “but the road ahead will be hard, and there is still a lot of work to be done.” The first order of business will be to find permanent housing for tens of thousands of tsunami refugees who still live in tents and shacks.