An Acehnese woman, who is contesting in this year's direct gubernatorial election, has said that the local poll body had unfairly declared her unable to read the Koran, a major national newspaper reported Thursday.

Passing a Koranic reading test is one of the requirements for candidates to vie for the Dec. 11 gubernatorial election in Indonesia's Muslim-dominant Aceh province, which applies Islamic sharia law.

Mediati Hafni Hanum, the solo Acehnese female candidate, said the Independent Election Committee (KIP) announced that she had failed the test on Sept. 7, reported The Jakarta Post.

"My teacher testified to my skills in reciting the Koran and during the test I did it well, but based on the results, I was declared failed," she said.

She rejected the results and sought support from Home Affairs Minister M. Ma'ruf to help settle the problem, while insisting she could read the Koran.

Mediati claimed that the KIP's finding was a systematic move aimed at preventing her from competing in the race.

"We are determined to press ahead with running for election because political support continues flowing from the Acehnese people," she said.

Source: Xinhua