Jakarta. Poltracking Indonesia has announced its withdrawal from the Indonesian Public Opinion Survey Association (Persepi) following scrutiny of its recent Jakarta gubernatorial election survey, which yielded results sharply contrasting with those of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI).

On October 24, Poltracking released survey results suggesting that gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil would secure 51.6 percent of the vote, based on polling conducted the previous week. This announcement came just a day after LSI published its own findings, which indicated that Ridwan's main rival, Pramono Anung, was leading with 41.6 percent, compared to Ridwan’s 37.4 percent.

Both surveys, conducted in mid-October, involved samples of 1,200 eligible voters across Jakarta. The conflicting outcomes prompted Persepi to initiate an inquiry into the methodologies and data of both research firms, ultimately raising questions about discrepancies in Poltracking's data.

In response to the controversy, Poltracking announced its decision to end its membership with Persepi and demanded a public apology from the association.

“We hope Persepi will issue a public apology, as this has tarnished our reputation,” Poltracking Executive Director Hanta Yuda said on Sunday.

Hanta accused Persepi of failing to properly analyze the data sets provided by Poltracking, which included both raw and processed data from the same survey. He argued that Persepi misinterpreted these as inconsistencies and unjustly barred Poltracking from publishing future surveys without the prior approval of the association's ethics council.

“Perhaps they were unable -- or unwilling-- to delve deeply into our data and made a hasty decision,” Hanta added.

Despite the controversy, Poltracking stands by its findings, highlighting Ridwan’s appeal to Jakarta voters through campaign promises such as free education for all, monthly subsidies for basic commodities, and annual neighborhood funding of Rp 1 billion.

Conversely, LSI noted that Pramono Anung’s campaign has gained momentum, particularly among supporters of former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who could not secure a nomination from any major political party for this election. Pramono's aggressive outreach to young voters has further bolstered his campaign.

Additionally, Pramono’s running mate, actor-turned-politician Rano Karno, enjoys greater popularity than Ridwan's choice, former agriculture minister Suswono, which could influence the election outcome.

Jakarta residents are set to elect their next governor on November 27.

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