Only candidates may protest election results<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Only presidential candidates and their running mates, not
\npolitical parties, will be allowed to submit objections to the
\nConstitutional Court should they find any fraud in the final
\nresults of presidential elections, according to the special
\ncommittee currently deliberating the presidential election bill.<\/p>\n
The complaint must be submitted within three days of the
\nannouncement by the General Elections Commission of the results
\nof the presidential election to avoid any prolonged unproductive
\ndisputes that may disturb the state administration.<\/p>\n
\"It is only the presidential candidates and their running
\nmates that can submit complaints. If all people and parties are
\nallowed to do so, it will create many more problems,\" Chozin
\nChumaidy, deputy chairman of the special committee, said here on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Chozin, also a legislator of the United Development Party
\n(PPP), said that all nine factions in the special committee had
\nagreed to the stipulation.<\/p>\n
Yet, several factions were divided over the time period for
\npresidential candidates to submit any objections or complaints.<\/p>\n
\"We are still discussing that,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Besides, KPU should listen to complaints submitted by
\nindependent organizations before it announces the presidential
\nelection results.<\/p>\n
Firman Jaya Daeli of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), Hafiz Zawawi of Golkar, and Patrialis
\nAkbar of the Reform faction concurred, saying KPU was supposed to
\nvalidate the final election's result before announcing it to the
\npublic and that only major cases were expected to be brought to
\ncourt.<\/p>\n
Chozin said that only the court had the authority to decide
\nwhether to process the complaints or not.<\/p>\n
The stipulation won support from all factions.<\/p>\n
The bill drafted by the home ministry did not specifically any
\nregulations on that matter but only stated that the KPU must
\nvalidate the election result before it is approved by the
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
Hafiz Zawawi meanwhile emphasized that the election results
\ncould be brought to the Constitutional Court only if the there
\nwere nationwide objections.<\/p>\n
\"All disputes at a regional level will be settled by the local
\nchapter of the KPU and the Election Supervisory Committee,\" Hafiz
\nadded.<\/p>\n
With such a problem-solving mechanism at the regional level,
\nthere will no major disputes nor a total rejection of the
\npresidential election results at the national level, he said.<\/p>\n
The bill is expected to be endorsed by the House by the end of
\nthis month.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/only-candidates-may-protest-election-results-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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