Parties file lawsuit over voter list violations

Wed, 05/06/2009 9:20 AM  |  National

JAKARTA: Representatives from 19 small parties filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court on Tuesday against the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the government over the flawed voter lists used in the April 9 legislative polls.

The parties, all of which failed to gain the 2.5 percent of votes required in the 2009 electoral threshold, accused the government and the KPU of deliberately leaving millions of eligible voters unable to cast their ballots during the elections.

Mochtar Pakpahan, chairman of the Labor Party and the lawyer representing the parties, partly blamed the inaccurate voter lists on their election losses. "The inaccuracy was due to the President being slow in responding to the KPU's need *for election funds*," he said.

However, the court chief of the trial administration bureau overseeing the case, Kasianuk Sidahuruk, told the parties to fill the complete formal requirements for the lawsuit within seven working days. - JP

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