Secretary General M Guntur Hamzah and Head of Center for Research, Case Review, and Library Management Rubiyo in press conference, Friday (22/3) in the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ganie.

The selection of Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court for 2019–2021 in the closed deliberation ran smoothly and solemnly. However, the eight constitutional justices and Chief Justice Anwar Usman as plenary chairman of the justices deliberation meeting (RPH) postponed the meeting until Monday, March 25, 2019 at 16.00 WIB. This was conveyed by Secretary General M Guntur Hamzah. He said that the meeting had started at 09.00 WIB on Friday (22/3/2019) in the RPH Room.

“As the opinion of all constitutional justices must be conveyed, the deliberation is still going. Therefore, the justices deliberation meeting to select the Deputy Chief Justice is postponed and will resume on Monday, March 25, 2019 at 16.00 WIB, after the plenary hearings on that day,” Guntur explained to the media attending the press conference in the Panel Courtroom of the Constitutional Court.

Regulation of the Constitutional Court No. 3 of 2012 on the procedure for selecting the Chief and Deputy Chief of the Constitutional Court include several provisions concerning the selection of Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, including that every justice present in the plenary meeting has the right to elect and be elected; the election of a Deputy Chief Justice is held in the justices plenary meeting; the justices plenary meeting shall be attended by at least seven justices; decision making is through a consensus in the justices plenary meeting that is closed to the public; if it does not reach a consensus, the decision is based on the majority votes in a justices plenary meeting that is open to the public.

Before concluding his statement, Guntur said that after the plenary justices meeting next Monday, hopefully all justices will decide who is elected Deputy Chief Justice. In accordance with the provision of Article 21 paragraph (4) of the Constitutional Court Law, before assuming position, the newly-elected Deputy Chief Justice makes an oath before the Constitutional Court. Therefore, according to Guntur, the Constitutional Court has scheduled a Special Plenary Hearing for the sworn-in of the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court for 2019–2021 on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (Sri Pujianti/Yuniar Widiastuti)