Three parties affected by a recent, controversial Supreme Court decision stated Sunday they will reject the ruling, which could cost them a large number of seats in the 2009-2014 House of Representatives
hree parties affected by a recent, controversial Supreme Court decision stated Sunday they will reject the ruling, which could cost them a large number of seats in the 2009-2014 House of Representatives.
The Supreme Court’s ruling annulled the results of the General Elections Commission’s (KPU) second phase of vote counting from April’s legislative election. The ruling was the result of a judicial review of the commission’s calculation, the request for which was submitted by Zaenal Ma’arif, a legislative candidate from the Democratic Party.
The affected parties include the United Development Party (PPP), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
“We are going to stand against the ruling based on a legal basis that the KPU’s regulations are not the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction,” PAN legislator Patrialis Akbar told a press conference at the PPP headquarters in Central Jakarta.
The ruling may result in incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party gaining an extra 31 legislative seats at the expense of six minor parties, including the PPP, the PAN and the PKS; which are among the members of the Democratic Party’s vast coalition.
“We are also going to ask the Judicial Commission to investigate whether an ethical violation took place at the Supreme Court in regards to its recent ruling,” Patrialis said.
Deputy secretary-general of the PPP, Muhammad Romahurmuziy, said that the Supreme Court’s ruling could endanger proportional representation in the House.
“If the ruling is applied, then there will be many constituents under-represented in the next House,” he said.
“For example, based on the KPU’s calculation before the ruling, the legislative seat value of the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) was around 217,000 votes per seat. If the ruling is applied, then Hanura’s legislative seat value would be around 653,000 votes per seat.”
Hanura and the Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) are two other parties which may lose seats due to the ruling.
Due to the potential impact of the ruling on the next House and the broader political landscape, Agus Purnomo, a member of the PKS’ advocacy team, said that there was no need for the KPU to obey the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“The ruling is not retro-active, so if the KPU decides to not obey it, then there will be no criminal charges against them,” he said.
However, a legal expert says the General Elections Commission (KPU) must obey the recent ruling.
“Any objection from the parties can be submitted to and settled at the Constitutional Court after the KPU implements the Supreme Court’s ruling,” Irmanputra Sidin said. (hdt)
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