One of the supporters of relevant parties prostrated after hearing the decision of the election dispute case of Regent and Deputy Regent of Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi, Monday (31/7) in the Plenary Hall of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas/Ganie.

The Constitutional Court rejected the Petition of the election dispute case of Regent and Deputy Regent of Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi, filed by the Regent Kasra Jaru Munara and Deputy Regent Man Arfa. The verdict of the case Number 34/PHP.BUP-XV/2017 was read out by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Arief Hidayat, on Monday (31/7) in the Plenary Hall of the Constitutional Court.

In the legal considerations read by Constitutional Justice I Dewa Gede Palguna, the Constitutional Court is of the opinion that the Petitioners\\' argument regarding the existence of double voters is unwarranted. Even if it were true, the Court is of the opinion that it does not significantly affect the number of votes received by each candidate pair.

Furthermore, in relation to the Petitioner\\'s argument concerning money politics, the Constitutional Court considered that the objection was the authority of other institutions. According to the Court, the Petitioners should have reported the suspicion of money politics to the Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) during voting and re-voting. "The settlement is in the jurisdiction of the general court, not the Constitutional Court," Palguna said while reading out the decision of the case filed by Candidate Pair Number 1.

In relation to other frauds argued by the Petitioners, such as that the Polling Station Working Committees (KPPS) not having the legal standing to administer re-voting, the Bombana General Elections Commission (KPU) did not follow up on the request of the Bombana Panwaslu to conduct re-voting. Also, the Court considered that the claim that the voting’s schedule and venue not being appropriate unwarranted.

The Court also determined that the candidate pair of regent and deputy regent of Bombana, or the Petitioners, received 39,734 votes, while the Number 2 candidate pair Tafdil-Johan Salim received 41,016 votes. The final vote result of each candidate pair of in the election of Bombana Regent and Deputy Regent Year 2017 was valid, and would subsequently became a basis for Bombana KPU in determining the accurate voting results for each candidate pair in the election of Bombana Regent and Deputy Regent Year 2017.

(Trisia Margareta/lul/Yuniar Widiastuti)