The Respondent’s legal counsel delivering a statement at a follow-up hearing for the 2024 legislative election results dispute of the West Java electoral district of West Java I of 2024 on Wednesday (5/8/2024) on panel 1. Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – The results of vote counting on social media cannot be used as a reference in determining the results of the 2024 General Election. This is the KPU's response as the respondent to the petition filed by DPR member candidate from the Gerindra Party, Elza Galan Zen, who filed a General Election Results Dispute (PHPU) case for the election of candidates for the West Java I Regional House of Representatives election. The second session of Case Number 157-02-02-12/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024 concerning the Dispute over the General Election Results (PHPU) for the election of candidates for members of the DPRD West Java Electoral District I, on Wednesday (8/5/2024) in the Plenary Session Room of the Constitutional Court.

Taufik Hidayat, representing the petitioner’s legal counsel, added that the KPU had conducted tiered and open vote counting starting from the polling station, sub-district, city, provincial, and national levels under applicable regulations. "The results of vote counting on social media or detik.com cannot be used as a reference in determining election results," said Taufik.

In the trial, Taufik Hidayat as the KPU's legal counsel denied the Petitioner's arguments as long as they were not expressly recognized as true by the Respondent. " All those arguments contained in the Exception be considered as mutatis mutandis as contained in the subject matter of this case.," he said. Essentially, the Petitioner stated that the Petitioner's vote acquisition was correct and had an effect on the acquisition of seats for members of the DPR RI West Java Election District I amounting to 2,613 votes.

Since the petitioner did not present the arguments of the petition in detail, Therefore, the Respondent could not clarify the details of the answer in detail. Moreover, Taufik continued, the petitioner's petition does not contain a petitum, so it is not known what the petitioner is asking for.

Also read: Gerindra Candidate Questions Votes Under Real Count Numbers

Precautions Conducted 

On the other hand, Bawaslu in West Java Province has identified several problems that affect the integrity and fairness of the democratic process. An in-depth analysis of reports from various sub-districts shows that the most glaring problems include the inability of witnesses to sign the vote recapitulation, technical errors related to the KPU’s vote recapitulation information system (Sirekap), as well as alleged vote inflation reported by several parties. Despite attempts at resolution at the sub-district level, it was often difficult to reach a satisfactory agreement, demonstrating the complexity and tensions in local democratic processes.

Based on the analysis conducted, it can be concluded that the general election process in Bandung City in 2024 is characterized by various challenges that require serious attention. Issues such as witness incompetence, technical errors, and allegations of vote inflation are the main highlights that need to be addressed comprehensively. Therefore, corrective measures based on increased transparency, accountability, and active participation of all relevant parties are urgently needed to ensure the integrity and public confidence in future election results.

Author               : Utami Argawati
Editor                : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                    : Andhini S.F.
Translator         : M. Ariva Aswin Bahar

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

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