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Election defeat a bitter pill to swallow
Election quick count results are globally considered a proven and accurate method for forecasting the outcome of democratic elections
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Election quick count results are globally considered a proven and accurate method for forecasting the outcome of democratic elections.
In some cases quick counts have exposed plots to manipulate the elections such as in the Philippines in 1986 and Yugoslavia in 2000.
But many involved in Indonesia’s legislative elections last Thursday, particularly the parties declared the losers, continue to doubt quick count results the same way they refuse to accept defeat.
“These quick counts are not the proper way to determine the election result. The surveyors only looked at 2,000 out of nearly 520,000 polling stations across the country,” said Bambang Suroso. His Pioneer Party failed to make the top 10 according to quick counts conducted by five different poll surveyors.
The quick counts have so far revealed the same result: Only nine out of the 38 political parties which contested the legislative elections managed to fulfil the 2.5 percent parliament threshold, therefore securing House of Representatives seats.
Bambang said his party would wait for the official votes tally to be announced by the General Elections Commission on April 20.
“I received information from our representatives in some areas that we gained more than 2.5 percent of the votes and thus will be staying in the House,” he said.
“There is still hope for us,” Bambang said.
The Pioneer Party secured three House seats in the 2004 elections.
The parliamentary threshold ruling, which was adopted under the new election law, means a qualifying party will secure at least 14 House seats. This provides no room for minor parties to be represented in the legislative body.
National Sun Party (PMB) chairman Imam Addaruqutni said his party would also wait for the KPU to finalize the official vote count. He said quick counts were not able to accurately reveal the real outcome of the elections.
“Quick count results are difficult to believe after so many problems having occurred in polling stations across the country, such as errors in the voter list,” he said.
Both Imam and Bambang vowed to contest the 2014 legislative elections if they failed in this year’s polls.
“The election law does not restrict us from running in the 2014 polls,” Bambang said.
Parties that fail to meet the parliamentary threshold will have to re-register with the KPU and undergo a verification process to qualify for the 2014 elections.
Secretary General of the Regional Unity Party (PPD) Sys NS said he was disappointed with his party’s performance and was considered quitting politics.
“I am not good at politics,” he said, adding that he would focus on a career as an artist.
He said he worked very hard to help the party secure a ticket for the House.
“According to the quick counts we lost. Even though we will protest the official result, I believe nothing will change. It’s useless,” he said.
Quick counts conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES), the Indonesian Survey Circle and Cirus Surveyor Group concluded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party leapfrogged more established parties to top the results with 20 percent of total votes.
Second and third place have been shifting between the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the Golkar Party, both with more than 14 percent each, while the Prosperous Justice Party trails a distant fourth. The National Mandate Party, United Development Party, National
Awakening Party and debutantes the Great Indonesia Movement Party and People’s Conscience Party complete the nine-strong list of parties that will form the House factions. (naf)
