Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/14/2009 2:10 PM
Defeated presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri will continue her legal fight over alleged electoral fraud although the Constitutional Court on Wednesday issued a verdict to dismiss such claims.
As of Thursday, Megawati, a former president herself, has yet to congratulate incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on his re-election.
"It is too premature to congratulate Yudhoyono since we are still considering alternative legal actions over alleged violations in election," Megawati's legal team member Arteria Dahlan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
"But, it is up to Ibu Megawati and Prabowo *Subianto* on whether to accept our offering for alternative legal measures or stop the cases with the court's ruling."
He declined to elaborate legal actions offered to Megawati.
Arteria said Megawati and Prabowo were expected to make their final say on legal actions in the next two days.
Megawati's legal team claimed the July 8 presidential election was flawed due to severe mismanagement of electoral roll, which they claimed prevented 28 million people from voting.
But the court in its verdict said that no evidence had been presented to support the allegation.
Court chief Mahfud MD said claims by losing candidates that Yudhoyono had received additional votes while they had received less votes were also "legally baseless".
He said that the alleged criminal violations and other violations in the election could still be investigated but would not alter the result.
In a press conference after the court issued the ruling, Megawati, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said she could understand the court's verdict, with some reservations.
The other losing candidate, incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla, has congratulated Yudhoyono on his victory in the election.
"Pak Wiranto and I fully obey the law; I congratulate the Yudhoyono-Boediono pair although the verdict was not as we would have expected," Kalla told reporters after the Golkar Party national leaderships meeting late Wednesday.
A member of the Kalla's legal team, Chairuman Harahap, said that some of arguments by the court's judges for rejecting the complaints were still questionable.
The General Election Commission (KPU)'s official final vote count showed Yudhoyono secured his re-election with 60.8 percent of votes followed by Megawati-Prabowo, a distant second with 26.8 percent. Kalla-Wiranto trailed with a mere 12.4 percent.
Yudhoyono's campaign team member, Anas Urbaningrum appreciated the willingness of losing candidates to accept the court's ruling.
"We appreciate the willingness of Megawati and Kalla to accept the court's ruling," he said as quoted by Antara on Thursday.
"Their attitude will establish a mature and healthy tradition in our democracy."
He said the attitudes of Megawati and Kalla would create a conducive situation and fresh atmosphere for Yudhoyono's victory speech next week.
"Yudhoyono delayed the delivery his victory speech until next week as he was waiting for the court ruling."
The KPU said it would issue a ruling to declare the official winner from the presidential election following the court's verdict on the election disputes.
"We will hold a plenary session next week," KPU member Syamsul Bahri said.
The KPU is scheduled to have the inauguration ceremony in October.
