by Mathias Hariyadi

The two defeated candidates had launched an appeal, claiming that voting had been rigged. For Megawati 28 million ballots had gone astray; for ex Vice-President Kalla voters list contained 47 million errors. Both now accept court’s ruling as “final and binding.”

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Democrat Party won in the 8 July elections. This marks a blow to former Vice-President Jusuf Kalla and former President Megawati Setiawati Soekarnoputri who had filed a suit demanding election results be overturned. Both ran as candidates in the presidential poll and lost.

As a result of the court’s decision, the incumbent president can begin his new mandate along with his running mate, former Central Bank Governor, now Vice-President Boediono.

Claims by the Kalla and Megawati camps that election fraud had been “structured, systematic and massive” were unfounded, Chief Justice Mahfud said.

The head of Indonesia’s highest court acknowledged that “some administrative and criminal violations did take place during the elections”, but they “should be legally proven, not just assumed.” For this reason the elections cannot be declared “illegal” and “null and void.”

As a result of the court’s decision Mr Yudhoyono is the legal president of Indonesia, having won 60.8 per cent of the vote, against 26.79 per cent for Ms Megawati and 12.41 per cent for Kalla.

The two challengers were not present in the courtroom when the ruling was read out, but their legal representatives stated that their clients accepted the ruling “with magnanimity” as “final and binding”.

Ms Megawati had claimed that 28 million ballots had been counted incorrectly and attributed to Yudhoyono.

Mr Kalla had claimed that the voters list had contained as many as 47 million errors, including duplicate names.

• indonesia
• yudhoyono
• kalla
• megawati
• elezioni
• presidenziali
• brogli
• urne
• islam
• voto
• democrazia