Febriamy Hutapea & Markus J. Sihaloho

Kalla, Mega To Accept Verdict on Election

The election campaign teams of losing presidential candidates Vice President Jusuf Kalla and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri said they would accept today’s Constitutional Court ruling on their challenges to the presidential poll.

Constitutional Court Chairman Mahfud MD confirmed on Tuesday that the court would deliver its verdict today in response to lawsuits filed by Megawati and running mate Prabowo Subianto, as well as Kalla and Wiranto, against what they alleged was the manipulation of the final voters list in favor of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Mahfud said the candidates had not intervened in the court’s decision, and the verdict would be free from political pressure. “And I think all the candidates would also accept any decision we make,” he said.

Indra J Piliang, the spokesman for Kalla’s camp, said the team would be ready to accept the court’s decision.

The challenge against the KPU’s results, he said, was a political obligation to ensure fairness in the country’s democratic system. “We will not take other moves. We will be ready for the court’s decision, whatever it is,” Indra said.

He said the appeal to the Constitutional Court would be the team’s last legal move. “We understand that the court’s decision is binding,” he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Megawati-Prabowo camp said on Tuesday that it would also accept the court’s decision. Legal team member Gayus Lumbuun said it was not likely to file another suit or raise the case with an international court.

However, Gayus said Megawati was looking into possible political actions if the Constitutional Court rejected the complaint. “But we haven’t come to any decision,” he said.

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