N. Maluku poll tests new election commission

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 11/21/2007 11:29 AM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The newly-inaugurated General Election Commission (KPU) this week decided to recount votes from North Maluku's gubernatorial election, before suspending three members of the election commission in the province (KPUD).

KPU Chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshari said here on Tuesday the six-member election team decided to recount the gubernatorial election votes because of alleged vote rigging in West Halmahera regency.

The vote rigging allegedly involved election commissions in the province and the regency.

""The (2004 general election commission) law allows us to do this and we are still recounting all votes from all regencies and subdistricts in the province,"" Abdul said.

He said KPU had already reported to North Maluku administration its decision to suspend the provincial election commission's chairman and members.

KPU said it had suspended a provincial election commission decision that had seen incumbent pair Thaib Armaiyn and Gani Kasuba announced the winner of the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election.

KPU, which was inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last month, has been under fire for proposing a budget worth Rp 47.6 trillion, a hike of almost 600 percent from the current Rp 8.4 trillion.

Hundreds of people from North Maluku staged a demonstration to protest KPU's decision to take over the gubernatorial election.

The protesters demanded KPU respect the provincial election commission's authority and their ability to organize the election and its outcome.

The North Maluku provincial election commission opposed KPU's decision, saying they were against the law.

The commission said it had filed a lawsuit against KPU with the Jakarta Administrative Court.

The provincial election commission's chairman Rahmi Husen said in a press conference KPU had no authority to intervene in local elections, including the recounting of votes in the recent gubernatorial election.

""KPU has no legal reason to take over the gubernatorial election and has no evidence KPUD is not able to (organize) the gubernatorial election,"" Husen said.

Accompanied by Nurbaya Hi Soleman and Zainuddin Hussaen -- both members of the provincial election commission, Husan said he had found evidence of miscounted votes as well as vote mishandling across three subdistricts in West Halmahera.

These cases had already been settled before the local electoral supervisory committee, Husen said.

""We are preparing a lawsuit against KPU which also annuls our decision to suspend the West Halmahera regental election commission, which according to our findings, is also involved in vote manipulation,"" he said.

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