Constitutional Court Session, KPU Denies The Movement Of PPP Votes To Garuda Party In North Sumatra

Illustration of the United Development Party (PPP) campaign

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has denied the transfer of votes from the United Development Party (PPP) as the applicant in the dispute over the results of the 2024 Legislative Election to the Garuda Party and the reduction in the votes acquired by applicants in a number of electoral districts (dapil) of North Sumatra (North Sumatra).

The KPU emphasized that the PPP argument was incorrect and baseless regarding the transfer of votes to the Garuda Party as many as 4,987 votes in the electoral districts of North Sumatra I, 5,420 votes in the electoral districts of North Sumatra II, and 6,000 votes in the electoral districts of North Sumatra III.

This was conveyed by Yuni Iswantoro representing the KPU as the respondent. The trial was chaired by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo accompanied by constitutional judges Daniel Yusmic P Foekh and M Guntur Hamzah.

"That the fact is that there is no transfer and reduction of applicants' votes to the Garuda Party, both in the electoral districts of North Sumatra I, North Sumatra II, and North Sumatra III," Yuni said in a hearing held in the plenary session of the Constitutional Court, Jakarta, Monday, May 13.

Yuni said PPP did not clearly and completely convey the stages and process of transferring PPP votes to the Garuda Party. In addition, Yuni said, the PPP mandate witness also signed the process of determining the recapitulation of vote count results at the District level for the electoral districts of North Sumatra I, North Sumatra II, and North Sumatra III.

In fact, he said, until the process of determining the results of vote acquisition at the provincial level, there was no transfer and reduction of PPP votes to the Garuda Party. During the recapitulation process of the vote count results at the North Sumatra Provincial level, the PPP mandate witness asked for a recount.

However, the PPP mandate witness did not have valid evidence (original ones obtained from the polling place) to be juxtaposed with C the results of the respondent or KPU. Therefore, the KPU cannot fulfill PPP's request.

He said the vote counting recapitulation process was always carried out in stages starting from polling stations, sub-districts, districts, provinces, and centers/national. Therefore, the validity or determination of the results of general elections by the respondent's basis is vote counting which is carried out in stages starting from polling stations, to centers/national which have all been regulated in Article 382 to Article 409 of the Election Law.

On that occasion, Bawaslu, represented by M Aswin Diapari Lubis, revealed that the North Sumatra KPU as the chairman of the trial conveyed to all witnesses who participated in the election if there were objections to the recapitulation of vote counting, in order to fill out a D model of special events or witness objections.

"The PPP witness filled out a D model special incident or objection which essentially rejected the results of the open plenary meeting of the recapitulation of vote count results at the North Sumatra Province level, especially in South Nias Regency," concluded Aswin.

Previously, in the preliminary hearing which took place on May 2, 2024, PPP argued that there was a transfer of PPP votes to the Garuda Party with details of 4,987 PPP votes moving to the Garuda Party in the electoral district of North Sumatra I, as many as 5,420 votes in the electoral district of North Sumatra II and as many as 6,000 votes in the electoral district of North Sumatra III. The transfer of votes was caused by a calculation error by the KPU in the dispute over the results of the 2024 Pilleg.