JAKARTA, LEGAL LITERACY – The General Elections Commission (KPU) stated that the vote determination for Polling Station (TPS) 003 in Boya Baliase Village, Marawola District, Sigi Regency, was appropriate. This was conveyed by the KPU as the Respondent in a hearing led by Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat, accompanied by Constitutional Justice Anwar Usman and Constitutional Justice Enny Nurbaningsih for case number 166-01-01-26/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024 submitted by the National Awakening Party (PKB) regarding the election of candidates for members of the Sigi Regency DPRD, Sigi Electoral District 5.

“Regarding the recount at Polling Station 003 in Boya Baliase Village, Marawola District, Sigi Regency, during the Recapitulation at the District level, the number of valid votes is in accordance with the list of permanent voters who cast their votes on February 14, 2024, totaling 208,” said Aulia Nugraha Sutra Ashary, Legal Counsel for the Respondent at the hearing held in Panel Courtroom 3, Tuesday (14/05/2024).

KPU explained that because there was a difference of 1 vote between the total number of valid votes and invalid votes between Form C-Results and what was read out during the Recapitulation at the District Level, there were objections from political party witnesses present at that time, namely the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the Nasdem Party, and the National Mandate Party. Due to these objections, the Marawola District Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu Kecamatan) recommended opening the ballot box to recount the ballots for the election of the Sigi Regency/City DPRD, Sigi Electoral District 5. After opening the box and recounting, there were corrections to the valid vote acquisition in Form C-Results for four political parties, one of which was the Petitioner.

Regarding PKB's argument stating that the Respondent's votes increased from 20 votes to 29 votes in Uwemanje Village, Kinovaro District, Sigi Regency Polling Station 5, the KPU explained that the Kinovaro District Election Supervisory Committee issued an oral recommendation during the plenary session for correction/examination of invalid votes, which was agreed upon by all political party witnesses present. After correcting the number of invalid votes, there was a change from 48 invalid votes to 8 invalid votes.

Based on the explanation provided, the KPU requests the Court to accept and grant all of the Respondent's exceptions, and in the main subject matter, to reject all of the Petitioner's requests and declare correct the Decree of the General Elections Commission Number 360 of 2024.