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JAKARTA: Indonesian opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri launched
a Constitutional Court challenge Tuesday to President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono’s re-election victory.
The daughter of independence hero, Sukarno has
refused to accept the results of the July 8 polls, which she lost in
a landslide to former general Yudhoyono, just as she lost the
previous election to him in 2004.
“First, we want a second-round presidential
election run-off or at least SBY has to bring back the people’s
trust by competing in the run-off with us,” Megawati’s legal
advisor Arteria Dahlan said, using Yudhoyono’s nickname.
“Second, if that’s not granted, then we want
the vote to be counted again across Indonesia.
“Third, we have proof that there were problems
in 25 provinces, so we want the presidential election to be held
again in those 25 provinces.”
Former president Megawati, 62, also complained
about irregularities before April general elections which were
deemed valid and which saw Yudhoyono’s centrist Democrat Party
triple its vote to become the strongest group in parliament.
Ahead of the presidential polls she complained
about inaccurate voter lists and missing polling stations, and
suggested the Democrats were trying to rig the ballot.
She accepted a Constitutional Court ruling two
days before the election which allowed people to vote with their
identity cards, in a bid to solve the problem of incomplete voter
lists.
But Dahlan said the election commission (KPU)
had been negligent and accused it of organizing the polls poorly.
“What we are after is the KPU itself. What we
criticize is the KPU’s neglect that has impacted on our vote,”
he said.
Official results announced by the KPU on
Saturday gave Yudhoyono 60.8 percent of the vote, far ahead of
Megawati with 26.8 percent and Vice President Jusuf Kalla with 12.4
percent.
But Megawati believes she has won 35.09 percent
compared with 48.70 percent for Yudhoyono, close enough to force the
pair to contest a run-off in September, her chief legal advisor
Gayus Lumbuun said.
Kalla has also challenged the results at the
Constitutional Court, saying millions of people were left off the
official voter lists.
He said his challenge was about protecting the
future of democracy in a country that emerged from 32 years of
dictatorship only 11 years ago.
“It’s not a matter of winning or losing,”
Antara news agency quoted him as saying at an event at his Makassar
residence called “JK goes home—JK hero of democracy”.
“The principle is that this nation must
progress properly, honestly and democratically, because the
democratic process must be implemented correctly and fairly.”s
World leaders have congratulated Yudhoyono on
his re-election, including US President Barack Obama, who described
the vote as “free and fair.”
-- AFP
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