Indonesia: Watchdog Asks For Right to Cast Protest Votes | The Jakarta Globe

Should voters who favor no candidate be allowed to express this on their ballot paper? The Independent Committee for Election Monitoring (KIPP) believes so and has proposed that lawmakers accommodate the right of these voters, referred to as golput (white group) , by providing a “vote no” column on the paper ballot.

According to KIPP coordinator Girindra Sandino, the “vote no” column might help minimize the chances of corrupt candidates, or old faces who broke their promises, being elected. “The voters who feel confused and are not satisfied with the candidates will have room to express [that feeling] on the ballot paper,” Girindra said. The “vote no” could be a healthy incentive for leaders to improve the political system and for the government to improve its performance, he added.

Indonesia: House finds loopholes in election mechanism | The Jakarta Post

The Election Law will see major changes after a legislative committee, established to probe alleged election fraud in the 2009 polls, found that many alleged election violations were due to loopholes in the current law, lawmakers said on Wednesday. The findings prompted the House of Representatives to delay deliberation of the revisions to the Election Law.

Committee chairman Chairuman Harahap of the Golkar Party said a slight delay would not be a problem because his committee’s purpose was to ensure transparent and accountable elections in the future.

“We are working very hard to finish deliberation of the bill on time even though at the same time we have the election fraud committee, which has made many interesting findings about many alleged violations in the last elections,” he said.

Indonesia: Committee may probe alleged fraud in Indonesian presidential election | The Jakarta Post

The House’s committee tasked with inquiring into alleged election fraud involving a justice and a former poll body member may expand its probe to other cases, including alleged crimes during the 2009 presidential poll.

Committee chairman Chairuman Harahap said that since his committee’s purpose was to ensure transparent and accountable elections in the future, it was necessary for it to review the 2009 legislative and presidential election.