Poll workers protest court’s call for rerun

ID Nugroho and Indra Harsaputra , The Jakarta Post , Bangkalan | Tue, 12/09/2008 10:37 AM | The Archipelago


Numerous technical and logistical problems are expected to hamper a planned vote rerun in Sampang and Bangkalan regencies in Madura, including a shortage of personnel and social unrest, the local polling body says.

In Bangkalan, the 9,759 temporary election workers posted at the regency’s polling booths for the first vote have expressed reluctance to help in the rerun, saying they were disappointed by the Constitutional Court’s recent verdict ordering a recount in Pamekasan and a rerun in Sampang and Bangkalan within 60 days.

They said they were concerned mounting political tension in the region could lead to conflicts.

“Most of the non-permanent staff are disappointed by the court’s decision and are reluctant to conduct the vote rerun, but election committees in districts are still lobbying them all,” chairman of the polling body in Bangkalan, M. Zazuli, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Mohammad Fauzan, a member of the polling body in Bangkalan, said Monday that more than 9,000 temporary election workers who manned polling booths in the regency for the initial election had decided not to work again in the rerun in protest of the court’s verdict.

He said he and his fellow workers would only agree to take part in a rerun if it were restricted to the six polling booths that had reported errors in the initial vote. He added the polling body would need at least another month to replace the workers.

“If the polling body is forced to rerun the vote, it will open an opportunity for the candidates defeated in the rerun to file complaints with the court,” he said.

The polling body will have to set up 1,445 polling stations under 843 district election committees for the rerun.

“The court’s decision indirectly gives the impression the voting went beyond the rules of the game in all polling stations during the second round,” Zazuli said, adding that his side was awaiting guidelines from the KPU on how to stage the rerun.

In Sampang, the local polling body had yet to coordinate with district electoral committees to hold the rerun.

“We do not know yet who will handle the vote logistics, including the printing of ballots and how their distribution will be conducted,” chairman of the local polling body M. Dofier said, adding that his side was learning about developments of the rerun from local media.

In Sampang, the polling body must prepare 90 electoral committees in 18 districts, 558 subcommittees in subdistricts and 9,759 subcommittees in 1,445 polling stations.

In Bangkalan, the local polling body must set up 70 electoral committees in 14 districts, 558 subcommittees in subdistricts and 9,282 subcommittees in 1,326 polling stations.