Cirebon Mayor violates election rules: KPU

Cirebon Mayor violates election rules: KPU

Nana Rukmana and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post/Cirebon/Yogyakarta

Cirebon General Elections Commission (Cirebon KPUD) has found a
strong indication that Cirebon Mayor Subardi violated regulations
in the election campaign, a top poll official said on Wednesday.

The violation took place because the mayor failed to take
leave while campaigning for Megawati ahead of the Sept. 20
presidential election runoff.

"After the preliminary findings, the KPU will question the
mayor soon, as will the Cirebon Election Supervisory Committee
(Panwaslu) in order to shed light on the case," said Darumakka,
the chief of the Cirebon KPUD.

The alleged violation was brought to light after Panwaslu
found a video compact disc (VCD) showing Subardi campaigning for
Megawati in Cirebon. The campaign took place in the Women's
Building in Cirebon, on Sept. 16, the third day of the
presidential campaign.

In the footage, it was found that Subardi officiated the
establishment of Mega-Hasyim Campaign Forum. He was also
discovered wearing a white T-shirt bearing the picture of
Megawati and Hasyim, and he called on the people to vote for
them.

Darumakka said that the KPU never received a copy of a letter
from the mayor declaring he was taking leave to campaign, which
suggested that the mayor had campaigned without taking leave of
absence.

Separately, Wasikin Marzuki, the chief of the Cirebon
Panwaslu, said that his office had issued a summons for Subardi,
dated Sept. 20. Subardi is invited to the Panwaslu office in
Cirebon for questioning on Thursday. If he is found guilty,
Panwaslu can report him to the police for further investigation,
according to Wasikin.

The Cirebon mayor could not be reached for comment on
Wednesday.

Separately in Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta Panwaslu has discovered a
total 25 election violation marred the first and second round of
the presidential elections in Yogyakarta.

The most high profile violation was allegedly committed by a
councillor at Gunungkidul Regental Council.

The councillor, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) faction, allegedly voted twice in the Sept. 20
runoff.

Chief of the supervisory division at Yogyakarta Panwaslu
Muhammad Wafiek said that the committee had investigated the
fraud and it would probably submit the case file to police on
Thursday.

Wafiek said that the councillor in question was Suwarto, who
voted in polling station (TPS) 9 in Kare hamlet and TPS 18 in
Pandanan hamlet. Both hamlets are located in Sumberejo
subdistrict, Semin district, Gunungkidul regency.

Suwarto was charged with violating Election Law No. 12/2003,
which carries a maximum sentence of four months in prison.

Meanwhile, another member of Yogyakarta Panwaslu, Marzuki,
said that the remaining 24 election violation cases were
discovered in other regencies and municipalities in Yogyakarta
province.

Aside from the one in Gunungkidul, there were five in
Kulonprogo regency, nine in Bantul regency, five in Sleman
regency and the other five in Yogyakarta municipality.