Potential Legal Violations in the Conduct of Elections and the Legal Accountability of the Semarang City General Election Commission (KPU)

Bahrul Khilmi

Abstract


The conduct of democratic elections depends on election organizers who demonstrate integrity and can be held accountable. The General Election Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum or KPU) of Semarang City directly implements the technical stages of elections, making it vulnerable to procedural errors, alleged ethical violations, and even criminal issues. This study aims to (1) identify potential forms of legal violations in the conduct of elections at the municipal level, (2) explain the legal status and framework of legal accountability of the Semarang City General Election Commission, and (3) analyze the challenges of enforcing accountability, using the 2024 General Election as an illustration. This study employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and limited case approaches. The findings indicate that potential violations can be classified into three categories: administrative violations, violations of the code of ethics, and electoral crimes. Legal accountability operates through four channels: administrative, ethical, criminal, and constitutional. The primary weakness lies in the mismatch between individually imposed sanctions and the structural causes of violations. Other weaknesses include defensive institutional responses and the risk of criminal prosecution for technical negligence. This study recommends simulation-based training, an ethical early warning system, data transparency, and a clear distinction between administrative errors and criminal offenses.


Keywords


General Election Commission, Semarang City, electoral violations, legal accountability, code of ethics

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23608138

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