BICC FOCUS Following the election of the Governor in Aceh

O 29 December 2006, the national elections commission, the Aceh Independent Elections Commission (KIP), announced the offi cial results of the governor elections in the Indonesian province of Aceh: Irwandi Yusuf, representative of the former rebel movement GAM, which fought for the independence of Aceh in a civil war lasting almost 30 years, emerged as victor. The elections on 11 December 2006, at which the people of Aceh were able to directly elect their governor for the fi rst time, can be regarded as the climax of the peace process in Indonesia to date; a process which began with the signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August 2005. This BICC Focus analyzes the history of the peace agreement, its provisions and the problems of its implementation, and formulates recommendations for the successful and sustainable implementation of the MoU. The Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding