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Purwakarta regent election invalid: Defeated candidates
Lawyers for candidates defeated in the Purwakarta regency election have asked the Bandung High Court to annul the results of the poll
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Lawyers for candidates defeated in the Purwakarta regency election have asked the Bandung High Court to annul the results of the poll.
Dul Nasir, who accompanied candidates Lily Hambali Hasan and Endang Koswara, asked a court session, presided over by Hazli Saleh, to order the regency general election commission (KPUD) to hold another election following the numerous violations that occurred during the poll.
He said he had evidence a number of eligible voters were not registered with the KPUD, and others had two voting cards to let them vote twice.
"More than 22,000 eligible voters did not cast their votes because they had no voting cards, although a day before the election many were given cards including the names of certain candidates inside closed envelopes," he said.
In a separate court session, lawyer Rukiyat, representing candidates Burhan and Nana, complained about duplicate voting cards.
"We have evidence that the winning candidates signed an agreement saying they would build an asphalt road leading to a village if they won the election," he told the court session.
Rukiyat said that a day before the election many people in Mahargalih village were given free identity cards to cast their votes, but were prevented from doing so by the 2004 Regional Administration Law.
Dedy Mulyadi and Dudung, backed by a coalition of the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), grabbed 37 percent, more than 155,600 votes, of the total needed to win the regent election.
Burhan and Nana, nominated by a coalition of the National Mandate Party, the United Development Party and the Democratic Party, gained 32.5 percent, while Lily and Endang, nominated by a coalition of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB), received only 26.8 percent.
Outside the court, some 200 demonstrators supporting the defeated candidates demanded the court annul the election's result, while some 100 others demanded the court support the KPUD's decision and called on the West Java governor to swear in the winning candidates.
