Attorney of the Cirebon Regency KPU as Respondent, Absar Kartabrata, stated that the 2018 Cirebon regency election results dispute petition filed by Candidate Pair Number 1 Kalinga-Dian Hernawa Susanty had been submitted past deadline, Thursday (2/8/2018).

Kartabrata explained that the Petitioners submitted the petition of case No. 15/PHP.BUP-XVI/2018 on Monday, July 9, 2018 at 15:15 WIB while the subject of the a quo case had been announced on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at 20:30 WIB. Therefore, July 4 must be included in the deadline following the provision on 3 work days.

"Therefore the deadline for submitting petitins according to the provision is Friday July 6, 2018, at 24:00 WIB, So the petition passed the specified deadline," Absar said to the constitutional justices led by Deputy Chief Constitutional Justice Aswanto. 

The Respondent also explained that the Petitioners\' allegation of vote count errors was false and groundless.  They also denied the allegation that Candidate Pair Number 2 Sunjaya Purwadisastra (Relevant Party) was a convict.

Candidate Pair Number 2 Sunjaya Puwadisastra-Imron (Relevant Party) through attorney Dedi Mulyana expressly rejected all the arguments expressed by the Petitioners regarding violations during the 2018 Cirebon regent election. They also rejected the allegation that the road work used the regional budget. They said that it was funded by donors who supported them. They also denied having done black campaign in a religious event.

Cirebon Regency Panwas chairman Abdul Khoir reported that the Panwas had received reports of electoral violations such as the use of state facilities, and had declared it an administrative violation. It also discovered that a sub-district head had committed a violation and sentenced them to two months of prison and a 6 million rupiah fine. It denied the Petitioners\' allegation that the Panwas had bruned damaged and excess ballot papers. (Nano Tresna Arfana/LA)

Translated by: Yuniar Widiastuti