Empty City Volunteers Grateful For Single Candidates To Fall

Volunteers in empty boxes prostrate gratefully knowing the temporary counting of the most empty boxes. (Doc of Blank Box volunteers)

JAKARTA The volunteers expressed gratitude after the quick count showed that the majority of the votes of the people of Pangkalpinang city sided with the empty box. Action and support raising for the empty box that was carried out were not in vain.

"Alhamdulillah, the actions and movements that we have carried out so that the public realizes that the sole candidate who appears is not worthy. The empty box is the right choice for now. We are grateful that the community supports the actions we take," said Muhamad Zen, Secretary of the Empty Box Aspiration House of Pangkalpinang City, when contacted by VOI, Friday, November 29.

Indeed, the KPUD is still counting the votes and other processes are still waiting for the manual count to end. However, Zen is optimistic that the votes for this empty box are already difficult to follow.

"Currently, we are red at around 59% of the total votes collected. The difference with the incumbent candidates who support all political parties that have representatives in the Pangkalpinang City DPRD is around 13,000 votes. The difference is very far away, so it is difficult to catch up with him," he said.

Now, Zen and the volunteers of the empty box are still escorting the manual vote count process carried out by the Pangkalpinang City KPUD.

He had heard that there would be an attempt to fight from the incumbent camp to sue several polling stations. But he was not afraid of the efforts made by the sole candidate. "Please, they file a lawsuit, the name of the loser will indeed try to fight back," he said.

As is known, the 2024 Pangkalpinang City Pilkada was followed by the only candidate pair, namely; Maulana Aklil and Masagus M Hakim which were abbreviated as Molen. In accordance with KPU regulations, if there is only one candidate pair, they will face an empty box.

And it turns out that in the city of Pangkalpinang and several other areas that held the regional elections directly this time there was also a single candidate pair. Those who have to face the empty box. The empty box in the city of Pangkalpinang temporarily excels over the Molen pair.