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KPU’s attorney Zahru Arqom delivering Respondent’s response of Aceh Province DPR-DPRD PHPU case, Monday (15/7) in the Panel 1 Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The allegation by the Aceh Party that the KPU had inflated votes for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in seven sub-districts in Central Aceh Regency is not true. This was stated by the Respondent’s attorney Zahru Arqom in the second hearing of the legislative election results dispute (PHPU) of Aceh Province on Monday (15/7/2019) in the Panel 1 Courtroom of the Constitutional Court.

Zahru said of the petition No. 46-15-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 that the accurate vote results for PDI-P were 9,194 and for the Aceh Party 6,101. “The vote results were based on the DA1 and DB1 DPR-A evidence,” Zahru affirmed.

The KPU also stated that the Petitioner’s allegation of the KPU inflating votes at TPS 01 of Padekok Village, Pegasing Sub-district was not true. Based on legal facts, Zahru added, candidate No. 5 Muhammad Ridwan of PDI-P received 11 votes as shown in the C1, DAA1, and DA1 DPRA forms.

Relevant Party PDI-P, represented by Imran Mahfudi, in their exception stated that the Petitioner’s petition was obscure especially in relation to the inflation by 79 votes. Imran added that it did not match the Petitioner’s vote results. Similar to PDI-P, the Great Movement Party (Gerindra) through Syahroni also affirmed that the petition was unclear. The different vote results at the polling stations (TPS) that were argued were not compared to the C1 and DAA1 forms as valid evidence. “Therefore, the Relevant Party refuses and denies [the allegation] as the data were inaccurate,” Syahroni said before the Court presided over by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, with Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat and Enny Nurbaningsih.

Signing the Results

In the same session, the Respondent’s attorney Ulin Nuha stated that the argument proposed by Said Mustajab of the SIRA Party on vote purging of the Petitioner in Beutong Sub-district was not true. Ulin added, the Petitioner’s votes in the sub-district were 146, in East Seunagan Sub-district 275, in Seunagan Sub-district 154, in Sukamakmue Sub-district 154. Therefore, the Petitioner’s vote results for Dapil Nagan Raya 1 DPRK were 1,255 votes. “All of the votes that the Petitioner received are consistent, and even the SIRA Party’s witness signed the vote results,” Ulin responded to petition No. 89-16-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019.

Petitioner Received More Votes

The Respondent’s attorney Ulin Nuha also stated that the United Development Party’s (PPP) argument of inflation and reduction of votes for the Crescent Star Party’s (PBB) in petition No. 103-10-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 was not true. Ulin said that in Dapil Sabang 1, the Petitioner received 465 votes while PBB received 472 votes. “So, PBB’s votes are indeed higher,” Ulin revealed.

The Respondent also affirmed that the allegation of the Petitioner’s vote reduction by 10 votes and the inflation of the Aceh Nanggroe Party’s (PNA) votes by 13 votes in Dapil Aceh 5 was not true. Based on the Respondent’s data, the Petitioner received 3,468 votes while PNA received 3,486 votes.

Legal Deceit

In response to the allegation of vote manipulation by the Aceh Regional Party (PDA), the Respondent’s attorney Zulkifli said that it was lawless. The Petitioner is a contesting candidate No. 17 in Dapil East Aceh that was declared as a local party’s candidate that had obtained a DPRA seat. “So, in relation to the requirements of seat acquisition of DPRA member, it is lawless. The petitioner argued a legal deceit,” Zulkifli said in relation to petition No. 248-17-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019.

Three Versions

Aceh Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) through Nyak Arief Fadilahsyah delivered a statement in relation to petition No. 185-18-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019. Aceh Voters Supervisory Committee (Panwaslih) had assessed and decided on the report to Dapil Aceh 6 in relation to the difference in PNA’s vote results. “There were three versions of DA1 forms in East Peurlak Sub-district on PNA’s votes: 755 votes, 888 votes, and 957 votes,” Arief explained.

The Sub-district Election Committee (PPK) chairman, Arief said, admitted to not knowing the origins of those vote results. The DA1 with total votes of 755 was revealed in the regency plenary recapitulation meeting, also followed by witnesses from PDA, Hanura, Nasdem, PPP, and SIRA Party. Votes for PNA at 888 votes were declared by PPK in the sub-district plenary recapitulation meeting, while PNA’s votes at 957 votes were read out in the regency plenary recapitulation meeting, of which results are owned by the witnesses from PNA, the Democratic Party, and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

In the same hearing, the panel of justices also heard the Respondent’s response and the statements of the Relevant Party and Bawaslu to petitions No. 189-05-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Nasdem Party, No. 66-14-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Democratic Party, No. 07-08-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), No. 92-19-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Crescent Star Party (PBB), No. 219-07-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Berkarya Party, and No. 176-04-01/PHPU.DPR-DPRD/XVII/2019 by the Golongan Karya Party.

Before concluding the hearing, Justice Anwar informed that the schedule for the next hearing would be announced by the Court’s Registrar Office. All litigants are expected to wait for further notice. (Sri Pujianti/LA)

Translated by Yuniar Widiastuti

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