Zaini Abdullah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 17th Governor of Aceh | |
| In office 25 June 2012 – 25 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Irwandi Yusuf (Governor) Tarmizi Abdul Karim (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Irwandi Yusuf |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1940 Pidie, Aceh, Dutch East Indies |
| Political party | Aceh Party |
| Profession | Medical doctor |
Zaini Abdullah (born 24 April 1940) is an Indonesian politician and former separatist activist of the Free Aceh Movement (or GAM, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) in Indonesia who was elected as the governor of the province of Aceh in the 2012 election for a five-year period from 2012 to 2017.[1] Elected with 56% of the vote, Zaini Abdullah is the second governor directly chosen by the electors of Aceh since the granting of restricted autonomy to the area by the Indonesian government in 2005.[2] His predecessor Irwandi Yusuf, who was elected in 2006 for the period from 2007 to 2012, was the first governor chosen in the province by direct elections.[3]
Zaini Abdullah was sworn into office as governor in a ceremony held in conjunction with a plenary session of the Aceh Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRA or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Aceh) in Banda Aceh, 25 June 2012. The ceremony and other official arrangements were, however, marred by a personal assault on the former governor, Irwandi Yusuf, by supporters of the new governor and by a grenade attack earlier in the day at the house of a local GAM leader.[4]
- ^ Hotli Simanjuntak, 'Zaini-Muzakir wins substantial victory', The Jakarta Post, 18 April 2012.
- ^ 'Indonesia's Aceh Elects Ex-Rebel Governor' Voice of America, 16 April 2012.
- ^ Before the election of Irwandi Yusuf, in accordance with procedures which had been followed for many years in Indonesia, governors in Aceh as well as most other provinces of Indonesia had been considered to be civil servants rather than politicians and had been directly appointed by the president of Indonesia, usually on the advice of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- ^ Hotli Simanjuntak, 'Aceh governor installation marred by attack', The Jakarta Post, 26 June 2012.