Losers claim polling errors in East Java gov election
Written by Meenaa on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
Losers claim polling errors in East Java gov election
The Constitutional Court began a hearing on Monday in a dispute over the official results of the East Java gubernatorial election in which the Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Mudjiono pair were declared losers.
During the preliminary trial, a team of lawyers for Khofifah and Mudjiono announced they had found that East Java elections body (KPUD) had made mistakes in its vote count.
The plaintiffs argued that the official election outcome released by the KPUD was illegitimate because there were mistakes in the vote count at 25 of 38 regencies and municipalities, which had cost them East Java’s top executive post.
“We found facts showing there were mistakes in the vote count,” lawyer Mohammad Ma’ruf told a hearing session presided over by judge Maruarar Siahaan.
Ma’ruf said Khofifah-Mudjiono should have won the election (with 7,595,199 votes) beating their the rival pair Soekarwo and Saifullah Yusuf (with 7,573,680 votes).
The KPUD announced that Soekarwo-Saifullahwon the election with 7,729,944 votes, or 50.2 percent, narrowly defeating Khofifah-Mudjiono with 7,669,721 votes, or 49.8 percent.
The outcome was based on the official tally conducted on Nov. 11 in the provincial capital of Surabaya.
The winning pair — nominated by the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Democratic Party — dominated in 22 regencies and municipalities, while the runners-up, nominated by the United Development Party (PPP) and 11 minor parties, won in 16.
In their petition, the plaintiffs requested the court annul the KPUD election decision and declare Khofifah-Mudjiono the winners of the second-round election.
The court, they added, should also order a recount of votes in 25 regencies and municipalities where vote rigging had allegedly taken place.
In response, Maruarar said the plaintiffs should provide more documents, including evidence that the tally had been manipulated.
“The session will resume on Wednesday to hear testimony from defendants and to check evidence,” the judge said.
Ma’ruf said his team of lawyers would complete the documents and reveal cheating practices in the gubernatorial election.
“We have only submitted half of our findings and will disclose all in the next session because those findings have significantly affected the total votes garnered by our clients,” he said after the session.
Ma’ruf said his legal team would also ask the court to hold distant sessions using video conferencing so as to allow the plaintiffs and their lawyers to attend or follow the hearings in East Java.
Desy Nurhayati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 11/18/2008 8:59 AM | National
