Jayapura, Jubi – The independent election monitoring network, the Alliance for Democracy for Papua (ALDP), is set to monitor the voting process of the 2024 General Election in Papua Province, Mountainous Papua Province, and South Papua Province. This was conveyed by the Coordinator of ALDP, Antoni Ibra Nalaki on Saturday (10/2/2024).
“This marks ALDP’s third experience in monitoring the voting process since 2014, 2019, and now 2024. It’s the third time,” he said.
Ibra stated that the alliance is the only independent monitoring organization from Papua accredited by the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) to monitor the voting process in Papua.
The ALDP will conduct monitoring in Papua Province, including Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, Keerom Regency, Sarmi Regency, and Mamberamo Raya Regency. Meanwhile, in Mountainous Papua Province, monitoring will occur in Jayawijaya Regency, and in South Papua Province, it will be in Merauke Regency.
Ibra mentioned that they are involving 80 individuals for monitoring the voting process, distributed across Jayapura City (22 individuals), Jayapura Regency (10), Keerom Regency (10), Mamberamo Raya Regency (2), and Sarmi Regency (3). In Jayawijaya Regency, Mountainous Papua Province (6 individuals), and in Merauke Regency, South Papua Province (27).
He emphasized that the involvement of the ALDP in independent monitoring of the voting process aims to ensure that the 2024 election organizers conduct it directly, publicly, freely, secretly, honestly, and fairly.
“Monitoring of the voting process is crucial to ensure that the election organizers comply with clean and democratic election regulations,” he said.
Ibra pointed out that the selection of monitoring locations is due to the high level of vulnerability to violations during the voting process. For instance, in Papua Province, violations range from money politics, identity politics, mass mobilization, to the involvement of underage individuals in voting.
He stressed the importance of active involvement from all parties in monitoring the voting process on February 14.
“Based on ALDP’s experience, the level of vulnerability to violations during the voting process is very high,” he said.
The General Election Supervisory Board has officially accredited 158 election monitoring institutions for the 2024 elections, comprising 155 domestic monitors, including 61 national-level monitoring institutions, 38 provincial-level, and 56 district-level institutions. Three monitoring institutions are from overseas.
There has been a significant increase in the number of domestic election monitors for the 2024 elections compared to the 2019 elections, which had 138 monitoring institutions.
Coordinator of Prevention Division, Community Participation, and Public Relations at Bawaslu Papua, Yofrey Piryamta N Kebelen, stated that the accreditation of election monitoring institutions for the 2024 elections was conducted by the Central Bawaslu.
“ALDP is the only election monitoring institution in Papua,” he said. He added that Bawaslu appreciates the Alliance for Democracy for Papua for once again becoming an election monitoring institution. (*)
