Sleepy Euro fans stumble to polls [i]TheJakartaPost.com[/i] July 5, 2004
The Euro 2004 final, including its celebration, ended less than three hours before the official start of voting at the country's nearly 600,000 polling stations at 7.a.m. Many voters and committee members of the polling stations did not want to miss the soccer final, broadcast live by a private TV station.
Sleepy committee members of polling station No. 002 in Sukabumi Utara subdistrict, West Jakarta, had to open the polling station on time as required by the General Elections Committee (KPU).
"When we opened the polling station at 7 a.m., only 10 or so people came. Perhaps, many of them watched the soccer game last night," said Djazuli, a committee member at the polling station.
He said there were 285 eligible voters registered at the polling station, but by the time the polling station close at 1 p.m., only 229 people had exercised their right.
"We are really sleepy but it is our obligation to serve voters," Djazuli told The Jakarta Post.