The Makassar General Elections Commission confirmed that the election of regional heads in South Sulawesi\'s capital was won by the blank box. Makassar was among 16 regions that held elections with blank boxes because only one candidate pair ran in the elections in each of the regions.
By
·3 minutes read
ANTARA FOTO/SAHRUL MANDA TIKUPADANG
Members of the District Polling Committee take pictures of the results of a plenary meeting on the election of the Makassar mayor in South Sulawesi on Friday (6/7/2018) evening. The Makassar General Elections Commission announced the results of vote recapitulation. Munarfi Arifuddin and Andi Rachmatika Dewi got 264,245 votes (46.77 percent) and the blank box got 300,795 votes (53.23 percent). A new election will be held in 2020.
The Makassar General Elections Commission (KPU) confirmed on Friday (6/7/2018) that the election of regional heads in South Sulawesi\'s capital was won by the blank box.
Makassar was among 16 regions that held elections with blank boxes because only one candidate pair ran in the elections in each of the regions. In Makassar, the blank box received 300,795 votes or 53.23 percent of the vote, defeating the pair of Munafri Arifuddin-Andi Rahmatika Dewi, who gained 264,245 votes, or 46.77 percent.
According to Article 54D Paragraph (1) of Law No. 10 of 2016 on Regional Head Elections, a provincial KPU or regency/municipal KPU can only confirm candidate pairs that gain more than 50 percent of the vote. Munafri-Rahmatika was not elected. In fact, the pair was backed by 10 political parties, which have 43 of 50 seats on the Makassar Legislative Council.
In accordance with the Law on Regional Elections, Munafri-Rahmatika are allowed to participate again in the elections in the following year, or the regional elections scheduled earlier. The law stipulates that the regional elections will be held simultaneously in 2020 so that, if they want to, the candidate pair for the regional heads who failed in Makassar can compete again.
Theoretically, the Munafri-Rahmatika pair may file a lawsuit over the results with the Constitutional Court (MK). However, Article 158 Paragraph (2d) states that for a regency/city with a population of more than 1 million people, the submission of voting disputes is possible only if there is a difference of 0.5 percent of the total valid votes, at the maximum. Makassar now has a population of more than 1.7 million people so that, technically, the Constitutional Court will reject if there is any objection related to the result of Makassar regional elections, where the difference reaches 6.46 percent.
ANTARA FOTO/GALIH PRADIPTA
The legal team of candidate pair of the Mohammad Ramdhan Pomanto-Indira Mulyasari (right), who was disqualified, asked for a dispute over Pilkada 2018 in Makassar, at the Constitutional Court Building, Jakarta, Tuesday (10/7/2018).
Article 54D Paragraph (4) of Law No. 10/2016 ensures that if there is no elected regional head, the government shall appoint an acting regent, acting mayor, or acting governor. The term of Makassar Mayor Mohammad Ramdhan Pomanto will end on May 8, 2019. The appointment of a new mayor can only be done next year. The Regional Election Law regulates that to fill the vacancy of the position of regent/mayor; an acting officer will be appointed from the top leadership position, from the state’s civil servants or other state officers. Before becoming mayor, Ramdhan was an architect.
From the government side, there will be no problem, even though the blank box won the Makassar regional elections. Public service will continue even though next year Makassar will be led by an acting mayor, who has limited authority.
The blank box phenomenon in Makassar is indeed a bit unusual because initially the elections were not only eyed by Munafri-Rahmatika. Ramdhan, with his partner Indira Mulyasari, once as well. However, his candidacy was canceled by the Supreme Court. Ramdhan carried out "resistance" by choosing the blank box, which was followed by other Makassar residents. This shows that people are becoming increasingly mature and independent in making their choice.
Moreover, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Professor Syamsuddin Haris emphasized that the regional election arrangement, which was made by the government and the House of Representatives, should facilitate the people in receiving good leaders, instead of facilitating the domination of an oligarchy (Kompas, 3/7/2018).
