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Calls for postponement of voting in Malaysia amid vote-rigging allegations
A video shows people finding pre-marked ballots in favor of certain candidates in Selangor, Malaysia.
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General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Arief Budiman (left) casts a ballot during a mock voting day at the KPU compound in Jakarta on Tuesday. The simulation was held to familiarize voters with the voting process, slated for April 17. (The Jakarta Post/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
here have been calls for the General Elections Commission (KPU) to postpone polling for the upcoming concurrent elections among overseas voters in Malaysia, which is scheduled for Sunday, following allegations of vote-rigging.
A video of people raiding an empty store in Selangor, Malaysia, and unpacking several bags containing marked ballots in favor of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and running mate Ma’ruf Amin circulated on social media on Thursday.
The video shows people holding up the ballots and claiming that they had been marked in favor of Jokowi and Ma’ruf in the presidential election and a NasDem Party legislative candidate.
“We demand that the KPU postpone all [election] affairs in Malaysia until the 14th, otherwise we will occupy the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur,” one of the people in the video said.
The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has received the report and verified the validity of the video, but did not reveal the identities of the people in the video.
The head of the Kuala Lumpur office of Bawaslu (Panwaslu Kuala Lumpur), Yaza Azzahara Ulyana, said in a written statement that the ballots were found at two different locations; an empty store in Taman Universiti Sungai Tangkas Bangi, Selangor, and a house in Bandar Baru Bangi.
“About 40,000 to 50,000 marked ballots were found,” Yaza said.
