Allegedly There Was An Action Of 'Slow' Sound During District Recapitulation, Bogor Bawaslu Will Be Criminalized

Coordinator of the Prevention Division of Bawaslu Bogor Regency Burhanuddin in Cibinong, Bogor, West Java. (ANTARA/M Fikri Setiawan)

BOGOR - The Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of Bogor Regency, West Java, will impose a criminal sanction threat for vote-inflated perpetrators that occurred in a number of sub-districts at the plenary meeting to recapitulate the results of calculating the vote acquisition for the 2024 General Election.

The Coordinator of the Prevention Division of Bawaslu Bogor Regency, Burhanuddin, revealed that based on the Election Law Article 532, every person who deliberately reduces or adds the votes of one of the election participants can be subject to a crime.

"Everyone who deliberately commits an act causes a voter's voice to become worthless or causes certain election participants to get additional votes or the vote acquisition of the election participants will be reduced to a sentence," said Burhan as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, March 6.

The article stipulates a criminal threat of 4 years and a fine of Rp. 48 million for anyone who deliberately reduces or adds the votes of one of the candidates.

"The maximum imprisonment is 4 years and the maximum fine is IDR 48 million," he said.

Previously, the Head of the Bogor Regency Bawaslu, Ridwan Arifin, revealed that the alleged inflation occurred due to vote shifts ranging from between parties, between legislative candidates, to shifting party votes to legislative votes.

Several sub-districts recorded to have experienced voice shifts include Ciseeng, Klapanunggal, Gunungputri, Bojonggede, Jasinga, and Citeureup.

Ridwan admitted that he would follow up on the alleged fraud from the vote bubble. He emphasized that the sub-district election committee (PPK) which was proven to have deliberately shifted votes could be subject to sanctions.

"(The sanctions) can enter, continue to be ethical," said Ridwan.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) of Bogor Regency Muhammad Adi Kurnia at the same place admitted that he was waiting for a recommendation from Bawaslu regarding the alleged inflating of votes by election organizers.

"We are waiting for the results of Bawaslu's recommendation regarding our colleagues who are suspected of inflating votes," he said.

Adi ensured that when the plenary session was at the sub-district level, no shift or vote inflation had been found, both parties and legislative candidates.

"So, at (pleno) their sub-district level there is no problem. Indeed, there are various criteria, there are those who, when they are about to finalize, the data is suddenly re-checked, they want to synchronize, suddenly change," said Adi.

The Bogor Regency KPU will also take firm action for PPK which is proven to have deliberately inflated votes.

"If it is proven that we will continue to dismiss the related PPK," he said. (KR-MFS)