T

he Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) says it will move up its official announcement of the winner of the gubernatorial runoff poll by four days.

KPU Jakarta commissioner Jamaluddin F. Hasyim said on Monday that the announcement would be made by Sept. 30 at the latest. “On Friday and Saturday we will still hold a provincial-level vote recount. The runoff winner will be announced either on Saturday or Sunday,” Jamaluddin said. A second tally of votes is standard operating procedure for the commission.

Jamaluddin attributed the accelerated timetable to overestimating. “We miscalculated the days needed for the recount. We calculated that it [the recount] would take six days, but it turns out that we need only two days,” Jamaluddin said.

The vote tally has been under way since the runoff ended on Sept. 20. Jamaluddin said that the recount would not be affected by moving up the date of the official announcement.

The term of incumbent Governor Fauzi Bowo will end on Oct. 7. If Fauzi’s accepts the commission’s announcement, Surakarta Mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widobo, the expected winner, can be sworn on the same day, Jamaluddin said.

According to quick counts compiled by several pollsters, Jokowi won between 53 and 57 percent of the vote on Sept. 20, while Fauzi garnered between 42 and 46 percent.

Candidates can file suit to challenge the commission’s announcement after Oct. 11 and the Constitutional Court must decide on any suits by Oct. 30.

Should the court hold hearings, the commission will make its announcement of the final vote tally on Oct. 31 at the earliest or by Nov. 2 at the latest.

Jokowi must resign as Surakarta‘s mayor before he can be inaugurated as Jakarta’s governor.

Separately, Fauzi said on Monday he had set up a transition team. “The team will discuss all things related to the transition, including the plans for Oct. 7,” the governor told reporters at City Hall.

Meanwhile, detectives from the state security unit of the Jakarta Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate are continuing to investigate electoral violations allegedly perpetrated by Jokowi’s supporters ahead of the runoff.

Indonesian Traditional Market Traders (APPSI) secretary-general Ngadiran and research chief were questioned by the police on Monday over a television commercial that was considered illegal campaign by election officials.

Their attorney, M. Maulana Bungaran, dismissed the allegations, saying that the APPSI was not part of Jokowi’s campaign team.

The commercial, which was broadcast on Aug. 27 by several national television stations, featured APPSI chairman Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, who is the chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), which, along with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), backed Jokowi.

The police also received a report of libel from Abdul Rasyid, a staff expert for the finance minister, against the website www.triomacan2000.com.

The website allegedly repeated an allegation that Jokowi’s running mate, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, misused official funds for a personal mining project when he was regent of East Belitung.