KPU, Bawaslu regroup to settle dispute over poll monitors

General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary and Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) chairman Nur Hidayat Sardini resumed a meeting on Monday to solve their dispute over the formation of 191 regional poll monitoring bodies.

The meeting was facilitated by Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi at his office.

Also attending was National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi.

“We are trying to seek the best settlement for the problem. In the previous meeting we took inventory problematic regional election supervisory bodies,” Abdul Hafiz told Antara prior to the closed-door meeting.

In their previous encounter, the Bawaslu agreed to annul the formation of regional poll monitoring bodies in 46 regions that will hold local elections, but the KPU insisted that the review be conducted on all the 191 supervisory bodies the Bawaslu had established.

The dispute revolves around the Bawaslu’s decision to dismiss poll monitors in regions whose leaders’ term end in August and recruit new ones. The KPU says the policy violates a joint agreement that both institutions have signed.