MK wants complete submission of evidence

JAKARTA. The parties involved in the presidential election dispute have until Tuesday to submit all their evidence to the Constitutional Court (MK), which the court will then use to consider its verdict, expected to be delivered on Thursday.

Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva said during Monday’s session that so far the court had received and verified evidence submitted by the lawyers representing the losing Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket, by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and by the president- and vice president-elects Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla.

He added, however, that some of the evidence, mostly documents, was incomplete.

Hamdan said Prabowo’s camp and the KPU had until 10 a.m. Tuesday to complete their documents.

He said some of the Prabowo camp’s documents were duplicates and that the KPU had yet to submit the complete additional special voter lists (DPKTb).

The court considers the lists to be crucial evidence. “The court needs the final tally of the lists because we have to match it with the real lists,” he said.

Prabowo filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court on Aug. 7, seeking to annul the KPU results that declared victory for the rival Jokowi-Kalla ticket by more than 8 million votes.

Prabowo claimed there was “massive and systematic” fraud that involved electoral officials and local administration leaders that cost them millions of votes.

Meanwhile, Elza Syarief, one of Prabowo-Hatta’s lawyers, said that her side was convinced it would win the dispute.

“After seeing the evidence and witnesses from our side, the KPU and Jokowi-Kalla’s side, I am 100 percent sure that our effort to prove that fraud happened [in the presidential election] stands the best chance of winning” she said.

Elza said that the only thing that the party could do right now was pray, so that the constitutional judges would have the conviction to make the “right” decision.

According to Elza, the final result of the presidential election this year was mainly effected by illegal voters that were listed in the special voter list (DPK) and the DPKTb.

The KPU expressed a similar optimism.

One of the KPU’s lawyers, Ali Nurdin, said he was convinced the court would throw out Prabowo’s lawsuit because all of the accusations made by the Prabowo camp had been refuted.

Ali said that of the three accusations made by the Prabowo camp — errors in the process of recapitulation, a legally flawed presidential election and “systemic and massive” fraud — none were proven.

KPU commissioner Ida Budhiati said the KPU had done its job according to existing rules and regulations.

“This hearing shows that the commission is responsible for the election process. We are sure that we are accountable for all of our actions,” she said. (ask)