Speaking at a seminar on Regional Election Evaluation, organized by the Constitutional Court, here Wednesday, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs said regional elections should reflect the maturity of the democratic process.
"But the implementation of regional elections is frequently marked by conflicts and anarchy that tarnish the very image of democracy," Joko said.
The security minister said among the phenomena that had undermined the image of regional elections were such things as money politics, inability of state apparatus and election organizers to remain neutral, fraud and violations of campaign rules, delivery of political messages with sectarian nuances that disrupt social harmony.
Djoko said the numerous election disputes that had been referred to the Constitutional Court were an indication of the legal awareness of the community to solve a problem through legal institutions.
"On the other hand, this legal awareness is often times not balanced with the preparedness and maturity of candidates and their supporters to accept rulings not favorable to them," he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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