Legal counsel of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Julianto Asis at the preliminary hearing in panel 3, Friday (8/9/2024). Photo by MKRI/Panji.

---

JAKARTA (MKRI) — The National Mandate Party (PAN) has filed a DPRD (Regional Legislative Council) election results dispute of Central Bengkulu Regency 3 electoral district in case No. 288-01-12-07/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024. The party argues that four votes had been added to the United Development Party (PPP) by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

“The decree on the results of [election] in Central Bengkulu 3 electoral district has never been attached, but in Decree No. 1050, the KPU made a change. We believe this act was formally flawed because the change to Central Bengkulu [election results] was done before the national certification (KPU Decree No. 360 of 2024). So, Your Honors, what we question is why the Central Bengkulu KPU had made this change while there was a national certification later on,” said the Petitioner’s legal counsel Julianto Asis at the preliminary hearing on panel 3 on Friday, August 9, 2024.

The Petitioner believes the KPU had inflated votes of the recount by validating invalid votes at five polling stations (TPS) in Central Bengkulu Regency 3 electoral district: TPS 01 of Taba Rena Village, TPS 01 of Karang Are Village, TPS 01 of Keroya Village, and TPS 01 of Temiang Village of Pagarjati Subdistrict as well as TPS 01 of Padang Burnai Village of Banghaji Subdistrict.

PAN (Petitioner) alleges that the KPU’s act had benefitted PPP, who received four additional votes—2,025 in the KPU’s version, from 2,021 in PAN’s version. Meanwhile, PAN received 2,022 as shown in the C-result form, C-result copy, subdistrict D-result form, and regency D-result form.

Inflation to PPP’s votes occurred after the Central Bengkulu KPU had recounted the Central Bengkulu DPRD votes on Sunday, March 10, 2024. PAN alleges that the inflation of PPP’s votes and its legislative candidate in the recount of the invalid votes can be elaborated following the minutes of the recount of invalid votes in the Central Bengkulu DPRD election as a follow-up on the decree on the quick assessment of Bengkulu Provincial Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body).

The Petitioner explained that the KPU had done a recount based on PPP witnesses’ objection on the objection/incident form during the subdistrict recapitulation, with the intention of asking the Central Bengkulu KPU to recount PPP’s invalid votes at those five polling stations. The objection was made against the certification of PPP’s invalid votes on those polling stations.

However, during the vote counting at those polling stations, PPP witnesses did not raise any objections on the ballots having been marked not with the provided marker, thus were declared invalid. The Petitioner can prove this with the statement letters of the KPPS (polling station working committee) of TPS 01 of Taba Rena Village, TPS 01 of Karang Are Village, TPS 01 of Keroya Village, and TPS 01 of Temiang Village.

On March 6-8, 2024, the Bengkulu Provincial KPU recapitulated the votes, during which PPP witnesses asked it to recount its invalid votes at the five polling stations. The TPS supervisors, village supervisors, supervisory committee, and the Bengkulu Provincial Bawaslu did not have any notes on those five polling stations as the PPP witnesses claimed.

In response to the objection, the Bengkulu Provincial Bawaslu issued a decree on a quick assessment for the five polling stations, issuing a recommendation for the recount of PPP’s invalid votes. However, that decision was based on a misguided legal opinion and baseless reasons. The Bawaslu had erroneously implemented swift assessment, which could have potentially affected the results of the previous vote count.

Several election participants in Central Bengkulu Regency 3 electoral district—the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and PAN—had filled in an objection/incident form against the Bawaslu’s decree that accommodated PPP witnesses’ request. They objected to the Bawaslu’s recommendation of the recount of invalid votes for the DPRD election in Central Bengkulu Regency 3 at those polling stations, considering the PPP witnesses present in the election had not raised any objection to the results and had signed the C-result copy.

In its petitum, PAN requests the Court to annul the KPU Decree No. 1050 of 2024 on the amendment to the KPU Decree No. 360 of 2024 on the nationwide certification of the 2024 legislative election results of the DPR (House of Representatives), DPD (Regional Representatives Council), and Provincial and Regency/City DPRD (Regional Legislative Council) as it pertains to the results of the Central Bengkulu Regency DPRD election in Central Bengkulu Regency 3 electoral district. It also requests that the Court certify the correct votes for the Central Bengkulu Regency DPRD election in Central Bengkulu Regency 3 based on its own version as follows: 2,022 votes for PAN and 2,021 votes for PPP.

Author            : Mimi Kartika
Editor             : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                 : Tiara Agustina
Translator       : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

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.

---