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The attorney of the Central Lampung regent election Alian Setiadi explaining the petition to the constitutional justices, Friday (29/1/2021). Photo by Humas MK/Ilham.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The Constitutional Court (MK) held a preliminary hearing of the 2020 regent election dispute of Central Lampung and West Pesisir Regencies on Friday afternoon, January 29, 2021. This Panel II bench was presided by Deputy Chief Justice Aswanto as chair alongside Constitutional Justices Suhartoyo and Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh.

Central Lampung Regent Candidate Pair No. 3 Nessy Kalviya-Imam Suhadi in the case No. 01/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 challenged the regency’s General Elections Commission (KPU) decree on the certification of the 2020 Central Lampung Regency election vote counting recapitulation. The regency’s KPU certified that Candidate Pair No. 1 Loekman Djojosoemartono-M. Ilyas Hayani Muda received 128,940 votes Candidate Pair No. 2 Musa Ahmad-Ardito Wijaya received 323,064 votes, and Candidate Pair No. 3 Nessy Kalviya-Imam Suhad received 189,276 votes.

The Petitioner argued that even if the vote margin between them and Candidate Pair No. 2 (Relevant Party) was above the threshold, they had legal standing to file the petition because they questioned the report of structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations of the Relevant Party that was now being processed by Lampung Province Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Agency), whose decision could influence and be a reference for the Court’s decision.

“The vote margin was cause by administrative violations in the 2020 Central Lampung regent election by Candidate Pair No. 2, which occurred in a TSM manner in 17 subdistricts out of the total 28 subdistricts in Central Lampung Regency,” said the Petitioner’s attorney Alian Setiadi alongside attorney Erick B. Sihombing.

The Petitioner alleged that the significant vote margin in 28 subdistricts in the regency was due to factual and massive vote buying and the distribution of other goods by the Relevant Party, which had been recorded in the list of incidents and/or witnesses’ objections in the vote counting recapitulation at the subdistrict and regency levels. They requested that the constitutional justices decide in a manner that would stop vote buying in the regency’s election.

“[Hopefully] in the future there will be a culture of democracy with integrity. Based on our explanation, it is clear and convincing that the Respondent had ignored the manipulation and violations in the 2020 Central Lampung regent election results recapitulation process,” Alian said.

Phantom Voter in West Pesisir Regency Election

The Panel II bench also heard the 2020 West Pesisir regent election dispute case No. 39/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 by Candidate Pair No. 2 Aria Lukita Budiwan-Erlina on the same day. The Petitioner alleged that there had been phantom voters at TPS (polling station) 05 of Kampung Baru Pekon Kota Jawa Hamlet by the name of Devi Handayani. On voting day, she was in Bandar Lampung, not at the TPS, but her name and signature were recorded in the attendance list at the TPS.

The Petitioner also alleged that the campaign team of Candidate Pair No. 3 (Relevant Party) had committed vote buying by recruiting potential votes as volunteers and giving the money. Those volunteers were also given letters of recommendation, which were signed by the Relevant Party.

In addition, they alleged that Pekon’s apparatuses had used the village fund to ensure the Relevant Party’s victory. The apparatuses also failed to remain neutral as they had intimidated and influenced voters to vote for Candidate Pair No. 3.

Writer: Nano Tresna Arfana
Editor: Nur R.
Uploader: Nur Budiman

Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti
Editor: R.A. Indah Apriyanti
Managing Editor: Budi Wijayanto

Translation uploaded on 01/30/2021 20:45 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian version, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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