---

The KPU’s attorney M. Jusril delivering a testimony at the second hearing of the Sula Regency election results dispute, Tuesday (9/2/2021). Photo by Humas MK/Teguh.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—A recount was carried out at TPS (polling station) 05 of Falabisahaya Village, North Mongoli Subdistrict as recommended by election observers, but a difference of two votes were found, said M. Jusril, the attorney of the Sula Regency General Elections Commission (KPU), at a regional head election (pilkada) results dispute hearing on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

“There was a vote difference at TPS 05 of Falabisahaya Village. The votes had been recounted up to the regency level. The officers had reread the ballots one by one, but a difference of two votes remained. It was discovered that there were 2 less voter turnout. The PPK (subdistrict election committee) said this was due to voters without signatures, who were missing in the attendance list,” Jusril said before presiding Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat (panel chair), Manahan M. P. Sitompul, and Saldi Isra in the Panel III courtroom.

Meanwhile, the regency’s Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) chair Iwan Duwila explained the recommendation of recount at TPS 05 of Falabisahaya Village by the Respondent. He said that during the regency plenary meeting, a difference of 11 votes were found. “That is why we recommended a recount. After a recount, there was a difference of 2 votes,” he said next to Bawaslu member Ajuan Amusugi.

Voters with Disability

Bawaslu also made a recommendation when some voters with disability who hadn’t been recorded in the final voters list (DPT) used their right to vote. Upon discovering the issue, Bawaslu inspected it and found that voters with disability had come to the TPS with a company. However, the election organizers directed the company to vote in place of the voters.

“So, the ones who went to the TPS weren’t the voters with disability and their company, but only the company. This incident resulted in the mistake, which led to a recommendation for a recount,” Iwan explained.

On behalf of Bawaslu, Ajuan Amusugi admitted that that the recommendation was sent to the Respondent with a delay because the plenary meeting was finished only on December 13, 2020 at 33:00 WITA. The recommendation was then sent on the next day at 09:35 WITA. The Respondent received it but didn’t follow up on it because it was past the case settlement deadline. “Despite the 4-day deadline, we didn’t send the recommendation [right away] because it was already late and our office was far from the KPU,” he explained.

The case No. 30/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 was filed by Candidate Pair No. 1 Hendrata Thes-Umar Umabaihi. They challenged the KPU’s decree on the certification of the 2020 Sula regent election vote counting recapitulation. They claimed that the election results were gained through manipulation and violations by the Respondent, resulting in the Relevant Party’s win. The alleged violations/manipulation include total valid votes exceeding the number of voters listed in the DPT,DPTb (additional final voters list), and the surplus ballots at the TPS; the mobilization of voters in several TPS; massive collection of KTP (resident ID cards) for voting illegally; and the inflation of votes from voters with disability who weren’t listed in the DPT (“phantom voters”)

Also read: KPU Decree in Ogan Komering Ulu and South Ogan Komering Ulu Challenged

Election Observers’ Credibility

At the same hearing, the panel also heard the response of the Ogan Komering Ulu Regency KPU (Respondent). Attorney Sofhuan Yusfiansyah explained the Petitioner’s status as an election observer. He said that in the regency there were eight election observers, all accredited by the KPU. “The Petitioner hasn’t submitted their [statutes/bylaws] but they have a deed of establishment,” he said regarding the case petitioned by an election observer organization called Barisan Pemantau Pemilu of South Sumatera Representing Ogan Komering Ulu Regency.

Sofhuan said the KPU had carried out the election well, since voting, vote counting at TPS, up to regency plenary meeting. “There was no report and recommendation from Bawaslu. Regarding the Petitioner’s alleged “money politics” [vote buying], no report was sent to the Gakkumdu (Integrated Law Enforcement) and the prosecutor’s office/the court,” he said in response to the case No. 08/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021.

No Legal Standing

Meanwhile, the attorney for Candidate Pair Kuryana Azis-Johan Anwar (Relevant Party) Turiman stated that the Petitioner didn’t meet the formal requirements to file the petition because they didn’t mention the organization’s secretary general, only the chair. “The Petitioner doesn’t have legal standing because [the petition] was filed by the [organization’s] chair and the petition was filed by Prendi Alhafiz as an individual. In addition, although the Petitioner is listed, it hasn’t been accredited,” he said.

Chair of the Barisan Pemantau Pemilu of South Sumatera Representing Ogan Komering Ulu Regency Prendi Alhafiz filed the petition No. 08/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 on the regency’s election, where Candidate Pair Kuryana Azis-Johan Anwar ran as a single ticket against an empty column. The Petitioner stated that the KPU declared that the empty column had won 63,166 votes while the Relevant Party won 116,778. The issue was reported to Bawaslu, who didn’t find any violation. The Petitioner also alleged that the votes certified by the KPU was based on an erroneous recapitulation, and that the vote counting process from the TPS to the recapitulation by the regency’s KPU hadn’t complied with the KPU Regulation No. 18 of 2020 on the recapitulation of vote counting results.

Writer: Sri Pujianti
Editor: Lulu Anjarsari
Uploader: Rudi

Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti
Editor: R.A. Indah Apriyanti
Managing Editor: Budi Wijayanto

Translation uploaded on 02/09/2021 17:47 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian version, the Indonesian version will prevail.

---