PapuaAround.com – The Constitutional Court (MK) has ordered the General Elections Commission (KPU) to conduct a recount of votes in the Sentani District concerning the vote totals for all political parties in the election for members of the Papua Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRP) for the Papua 3 electoral district. This decision came after partially granting a petition filed by the NasDem Party during a session to announce ruling number 17-01-05-33/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024, held on Monday (June 10).
In the ruling, Chief Justice Suhartoyo stated, “The results of the vote totals for political parties and candidates for the Papua Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRP) for the Papua 3 electoral district in the Sentani District must be recounted.”
The recount must be conducted by cross-referencing the C Hasil form with the D Hasil Kecamatan form at all polling stations (TPS) in the Sentani District. This decision was made after discrepancies were found between the C Hasil form and the D Hasil Kecamatan form, which is the basis for the vote count.
Suhartoyo emphasized, “The KPU must use the C Hasil form as a reference within a maximum of 21 days from the announcement of this decision.” Following this, the KPU must combine the recount results with the vote totals that were not annulled by the Court and finalize them following existing regulations without having to report back to the Court.
Additionally, the MK has ordered the KPU and the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to oversee the implementation of this ruling. The Indonesian National Police and its units are also tasked with providing security during the recount process within their authority.
In its petition, the NasDem Party argued that there were issues of vote shifting, where votes were deducted from NasDem and added to other political parties due to the absence of the D Hasil Kecamatan form. Constitutional Judge Arsul Sani explained that this claim needs further verification by comparing the C Hasil form with the D Hasil Kecamatan form.
After the Court cross-referenced the recount results from 225 polling stations in the Sentani District, it was found that only three polling stations had consistent vote usage numbers between the C Hasil Salinan and the D Hasil Kecamatan forms. These polling stations were TPS 56 in Sentani Kota Village, TPS 23 in Hinekombe Village, and TPS 01 in Sereh Village, while the other 222 polling stations showed discrepancies.
Arsul added, “Bawaslu only submitted evidence in the form of a collection of C Hasil Salinan forms for all polling stations in the Sentani District, except for several polling stations that were not included.” Therefore, the Court could not cross-reference the C Hasil forms provided by the parties to verify the accuracy of the vote usage data as claimed by the Petitioner.
The Court also did not receive sufficient explanations from the KPU, either in its testimony or during the hearing, to confirm that the discrepancies between the C Hasil and D Hasil Kecamatan forms at 222 polling stations in the Sentani District were due to corrections made during the hierarchical recount process. Arsul asserted, “Therefore, the Court could not confirm the accuracy and purity of the votes in the Sentani District.”
This MK decision highlights the critical importance of accuracy and transparency in every stage of the electoral process, particularly in vote collection and counting. It also underscores the crucial role of the KPU and Bawaslu in ensuring the integrity of elections. The implementation of the vote recount in the Sentani District is expected to restore public confidence in the electoral process and ensure that the results truly reflect the voters’ choices in the region.
In this context, political parties and the broader public are encouraged to support this recount process by maintaining a conducive environment and actively monitoring the recount to ensure that no further errors or manipulations occur that could harm any party. This step is also expected to serve as a valuable lesson for future election organizers to be more careful and meticulous in every process they undertake.
On the other hand, the KPU and Bawaslu must work together effectively to complete this recount within the stipulated time frame of 21 days. They must ensure that all stages are conducted in accordance with established procedures and regulations, involving relevant parties to supervise the process.
With the implementation of this vote recount in Sentani District, it is hoped that the final results will be accepted by all parties, both the competing political parties and the voters. This is a crucial effort to uphold democracy and fairness in the electoral process in Indonesia.
Read also: Government Officials Convene to Address Papua Situation!
Source: CNN.