Wiranto challenges election result
Wiranto challenges election result
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung
Wiranto and running-mate Solahuddin Wahid filed a complaint with
the Constitutional Court on Thursday, claiming that they lost 3.4
million votes due to inaccuracies and inconsistencies in vote-
counting after the July 5 election.
They also requested a judicial review of a General Elections
Commission (KPU) ruling declaring double-punctured ballots valid.
"We have filed a request with the Supreme Court and the
Constitutional Court to settle several inaccuracies in the poll
results," Wiranto told a news conference on Thursday.
Later in the day, Wiranto's lawyers submitted the complaint to
the Constitutional Court, while Wiranto held a private meeting
with the court's president, Jimly Asshidiqie.
The complaint was received by court cleric Ahmad Fadlil
Zumadi.
Lawyer Yan Djuanda said inaccurate vote-counting took place in
26 of the country's 32 provinces, including East Java, West Java,
Yogyakarta, North Sulawesi and Bali.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won in East Java and Yogyakarta,
while Megawati Soekarnoputri won in Bali and West Java.
Yan claimed that Wiranto lost 1,038,855 votes in West Java and
963 votes in South Sulawesi. Golkar, which nominated Wiranto, won
in both West Java and South Sulawesi in the April 5 legislative
election.
In the capital Jakarta, Wiranto, according to Yan, lost
348,878 votes, while in East and Central Java he lost 768,339 and
752,552 votes respectively.
"If the court accepts the complaint, Pak Wiranto will come
second with 122,344 votes more than Megawati," Yan said.
According to the tally announced by the General Elections
Commission (KPU) on Monday, Wiranto garnered only 26.2 million
votes, trailing behind Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who got 39.8
million, and Megawati Soekarnoputri with 31.5 million votes.
Article 68 of the Presidential Election Law stipulates that
presidential candidates can file complaints with the
Constitutional Court regarding the results of the election no
later than three days after the election results are officially
made public.
The Constitutional Court has to issue a final and binding
verdict no later than 14 days after the complaints are submitted.
Wiranto said he had learned of the 3.4 million lost votes when
scrutinizing election documents from eight provinces, including
East Java, West Java, Banten and Lampung.
"The findings show a systematic pattern of violations," he
said.
Wiranto said his camp hoped that the Supreme Court would issue
a legal opinion on the issuance of a KPU circular issued on
voting day.
The KPU hastily issued a circular on July 5 after learning
that voters across the country had unintentionally punctured two
holes in ballot papers.
According to the Presidential Election Law, double-punctured
ballot papers are invalid. The KPU circular, however, declared
doubled-perforated ballots valid if the punctures were on only
one set of candidates.
"We can not accept the fact that a KPU circular can revised
the law. We hope the Supreme Court will soon issue a fatwa," he
said.
According to Wiranto, the KPU must recount the votes if the
Supreme Court declared the commission's circular invalid.
He said the request was filed with the Supreme Court last
Friday and the request to the Constitutional Court on Thursday.
He claimed that the issuance of the circular resulted in
inconsistent vote-counting. Manipulation of votes occurred in
several provinces, he said.
Separately, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) leader Hidayat
Nurwahid said in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday that his party
would support a presidential candidate who rejected militarism,
upheld the reform agenda and fought corruption.
Hidayat said his party was in intense talks with all
presidential and vice presidential candidates.
"Since it's still in process, it would not be wise to announce
anything publicly. We will extend our support to someone who
upholds the reform agenda," Hidayat announced at Daarut Tauhid
Islamic boarding school.