Fachrul Sidiq, Tangerang – Most voters at polling station TPS 02 in Pinang, Tangerang, Banten, where Governor Wahidin Halim cast his vote, have voted for a blank box, leaving behind incumbent pair Arief Wismansyah-Sachrudin, who are seeking mayoral reelection.
The pair are the sole candidates in the election, who gained the backing from all political parties holding seats at the City Council. Wahidin and Arief are politicians from the Democratic Party.
"Of the 191 votes, 74 voted for [Arief-Sachrudin], 114 voted for a blank box and 3 votes are illegitimate," TPS 02 head Syahrul said on Wednesday. There are 288 voters registered at the station, he added.
Over 1.02 million residents are eligible to cast their vote to decide the fate of the city. To win reelection, Arief needs to secure over 50 percent of the votes, according to the 2016 Election Law.
By the time of writing, Arief claimed that based on his internal team's survey, he had gained over 600,000 votes, while 100,000 voters chose the blank box.
The Tangerang General Elections Commission has yet to announce the official result of the election.