Panwaslu praises 'clean' election<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Medan\/Surabaya\/Cirebon\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
There were no significant violations found during Monday's final
\nround of the presidential election, the Election Supervisory
\nCommittee (Panwaslu) announced on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The official poll supervisor billed the voting day as \"the
\ncleanest election ever\".<\/p>\n
A similar conclusion was drawn by two independent poll
\nwatchdogs, the Voters' Education Network for the People (JPPR)
\nand the Indonesian People's Network for Election Observers
\n(JAMPPI), which said the election had run freely and fairly in
\ngeneral despite some minor violations.<\/p>\n
\"The election was generally cleaner than the first round on
\nJuly 5 and the legislative election on April 5 in terms of the
\nnumber of violations,\" Panwaslu deputy chairman Rozy Munir said.<\/p>\n
The committee recorded 81 administrative violations and 20
\nelection-related crimes filed by the campaign teams of both
\npresidential candidates with local Panwaslu offices across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
During the first round of the elections, the committee recorded
\n92 administrative violations and 44 election-related crimes.<\/p>\n
The supervisory committee also recorded 1,176 complaints about
\nthe lack of ballot papers, 633 complaints filed by unregistered
\nvoters, 246 cases of alleged vote-buying and 33 election-related
\ncrimes during the legislative election.<\/p>\n
Committee member Didik Supriyanto attributed the decline in
\nthe number of violations to the political elite who had been \"too
\ntired to provoke people\".<\/p>\n
\"People have proven their maturity. They have shown both the
\ncountry and the world that the nation is ready for democracy,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Based on its survey, JPPR concluded voters had exercised their
\nright to vote peacefully despite minor glitches in election
\norganization and vote buying allegations.<\/p>\n
\"As many as 96 percent of our 121 volunteers found no reports
\nof intimidation against voters,\" JPPR national coordinator
\nGunawan Hidayat told a press conference.<\/p>\n
The observers also reported poll committee members gave no
\nsign of being biased in favor of either candidate.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, JAMPPI stressed no serious infractions took place
\non the election day, aside from the sporadic oversight of
\nballoting procedures by poll workers.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, the local Panwaslu accused the management of
\nstate plantation company PTPN IV of tampering with ballot papers.<\/p>\n
Local Panwaslu head Choking Susilo Sakeh accused company
\nmanagement of marking about 500 ballot papers in a bid to force
\ntheir workers to vote for incumbent President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The management had threatened to dismiss and punish the
\nemployees if they chose otherwise, Choking told The Jakarta Post
\nin Medan.<\/p>\n
Local General Elections Commission (KPUD) official Irham Buana
\nNasution confirmed the violation, but said a re-run of the poll
\nwould not be conducted. He did not explain the reason for the
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
Separately, the local KPUD in Cirebon announced a plan to
\nquestion Mayor Subardi for allegedly campaigning for the Megawati
\nand Hasyim Muzadi ticket. The office found video footage showing
\nSubardi, who is also a member of Megawati's Indonesia Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P), campaigning for the ticket while on
\nduty as mayor. Subardi did not take leave from his position as
\nrequired by law.<\/p>\n
Subardi could not be reached for comment but the head of PDI-P
\nbranch office Suryana denied the allegations.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, the provincial KPUD expects to probe a report of
\nvote buying involving the campaign team of presidential candidate
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono and running-mate Jusuf Kalla.<\/p>\n
The report said Susilo team chief Fandi Utomo and secretary
\nIqbal handed over Rp 27.1 billion to National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) provincial chapter head Choirul Anam and Muslim cleric Mas
\nSubadar.<\/p>\n
Choirul and Subadar denied the accusations, saying the
\nallegation was part of a smear campaign by Susilo's political
\nopponents.<\/p>\n
\"We supported (Susilo) not only because of the money,\" Mas
\nSubadar, who campaigned against a female presidential candidate,
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/panwaslu-praises-clean-election-1447893297",
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