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.