The Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU) has decided to halt the publication of preliminary vote counts on its digital platform, the Tabulation Information System (Sirekap), following widespread criticism and concerns about data accuracy and security.
The 2024 general election in Indonesia witnessed the implementation of the Tabulation Information System (Sirekap) as the official digital vote-counting and tabulating platform. However, shortly after vote counting began on February 14, irregularities emerged, leading to a public outcry and scrutiny.
Local poll administrators (KPPS) and citizens took to social media expressing dissatisfaction with the vote count data displayed on Sirekap. Key issues included mismatched vote counts, where numbers on Sirekap did not align with those recorded on the manual C1 forms photographed or scanned by poll workers. In certain cases, the total votes displayed on the platform exceeded the registered voter count at specific polling stations. Additionally, discrepancies in vote tallies for specific candidates between Sirekap and the manual forms raised concerns about the accuracy of the digital platform.
Responding to these concerns, the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) requested the KPU to suspend the publication of preliminary vote counts on Sirekap until data accuracy could be assured. The move aims to prevent any potential misinformation or confusion arising from inconsistent vote tallies.
Apart from data accuracy, observers also raised questions about the security of Sirekap’s data. Reports suggested that the platform stored information in cloud services located abroad, including servers in China, Singapore, and France. These claims prompted further scrutiny and underscored the need for transparency and robust security measures.
The campaign teams of the two 2024 presidential candidates expressed discontent with the KPU’s decision to halt the preliminary vote tally display. They allege foul play and demand clarity on the reasons behind the suspension.
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