Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – The Jakarta Elections Commission on Saturday announced there were 5.7 million registered voters for August's gubernatorial election, or about 75 percent of the city's total population.
The commission originally announced some 5.6 million people had registered to vote. However, in response to protests it extended the registration, which added about 125,000 to the voter lists.
A recent voter registration audit by several NGOs, however, estimated that some 1.2 million eligible voters were still not registered, and that about 1.2 million people on the voter lists did not actually exist.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Jakarta's largest political party, carried out its own survey in 10 subdistricts and found the names of about 1,000 people on the voter rolls it considered "ghost voters".
Demanding a thorough registration audit, the PKS threatened to withdraw its gubernatorial candidates, Adang Daradjatun and running mate Dani Anwar, before the poll commission announces the official governor candidates on Monday.
The party said the commission violated the Regional Autonomy Law on the mechanisms of voter registration, resulting in a significant number of its members and supporters being excluded from the voter lists.
Head of the party's campaign team, Igo Ilham, said Sunday the commission's resistance to an audit was proof of its lack of professionalism in overseeing election preparations.
"An audit is necessary to determine the quality of the voter lists, but the commission keeps rejecting our request. This proves they are afraid that their faults will be revealed."
Igo said if an audit was allowed, the results could possibly be used to pursue a legal case against the commission.
Commission head Juri Ardiantoro said the voter registration process was closed and that it was moving forward to keep the election preparations on schedule. He said the commission had closed the book on voter registration.
"People are free to express their complaints but we will carry on with the process."
He also said the PKS was free to take its complaints to court if it was not satisfied with the commission's decision.
The Indonesian Community Alliance, which is concerned with election processes, criticized the commission's strict schedule.
"The commission should not sacrifice democracy only to keep everything on schedule," alliance coordinator Bob Randilawe told a press conference Sunday in Cikini, Central Jakarta.
He said if the PKS chose to accept the voter lists, it would be endorsing a system that deprived people of their right to vote in the election.