The results of the 2018 Mimika Regent Election were challenged by four candidate pairs after Candidate Pair Number 6 Eltinus Omaleng and Johannes Rettob won the election. The Petitioners include Candidate Pair Number 3 Wilhelmus Pigai and Athanasius, represented by legal counsel Heriyanto. Petitioners No. 52/PHP.BUP-XVI/2018 claimed Eltinus Omaleng and Johannes Rettob as Relevant Party were involved in money politics. 

"The vote count for candidate pair number 6 as Relevant Party [was attained through] fraud and money politics in almost all subdistricts," Heriyanto said before the Panel of Justices led by Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Aswanto during the Constitutional Court hearing on Friday (27/7). 

A number of witnesses and volunteers of Case No. 52/PHP.BUP-XVI/2018 had heard about and found money politics practice by the Relevant Party through distribution of Rp250,000 to each voter who were willing to favor the them. 

In addition, the Petitioners found the fact that the Mimika District Election Supervisory Committee did not follow up and/or issue recommendations for re-vote in 8 subdistricts despite being aware of various irregularities and fraud at the time of the vote. 

The Petitioners also suspected that the Mimika District Election Commission as Respondent and the Mimika Resort Police had used violence and intimidation, including forced removal of witnesses, the legitimate winning team, and those entitled to follow the plenary vote recapitulation until the end based on existing provisions. The repressive action by the Respondent and Mimika Resort Police led to walk-out by three other candidate pairs of the 2018 Mimika Regent and Deputy Regent. The three candidates were No. 1, 2, and 5. 

In addition to the candidate pair number 3, candidate pairs Hans Magal and Abdul Muis, Philipine B. Wakerkwa and Basri, Petrus Yanwarin and Alpius Edoway, as well as Robertus Waraopea and Albert Bolang also challenged the 2018 Mimika Regent election. 

The Mimika District KPU had declared Eltinus Omaleng-Johanes Rettob as recipient of the most votes for the 2018 Mimika Regent Election with 60,513 votes or 33.12% of the 182,723 valid votes. Following the pair were Hans Magal and Abdul Muis with 53,949 votes or 29.52%, Wilhemus Pigai and Athanasius Allo Rafra with 32,445 votes or 17.74%, Robertus Waraopea and Albert Bolang with 16,033 votes or 8.77%. Philipus B. Wakerkwa and Basri obtained 12,287 votes or 6.72%, Petrus Yanwarin-Alpius Edowai 3.14%, and Maria Florida Kotorok and the Justus Way obtained 1,801 votes or 0.99%. 

Meanwhile, the 2018 Central Mamberamo Regent election results were challenged by the Central Mamberamo Customary Council from 5 subdistricts. Eko Perdana Putra as legal counsel of the Central Mamberamo Customary Council revealed a number of arguments on the violation of the Central Mamberamo Regent Election, for example the determination of a single candidate pair to have violated the rules.

In addition, Eko Perdana Putra said, there was no column in the C1 form to fill in the results of the empty box votes. Furthermore, the Central Mamberamo Elections Commission did not disseminate the implementation of the election nor update the voters list (DPT). Aside from that, offices of the Central Mamberamo District Elections Commission and the Central Mamberamo Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) were set on fire on April 17, 2018. (Nano Tresna Arfana/LA/Yuniar Widiastuti)