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The Petitioner’s attorney Fauziah Aznur withdrawing the petition at the second hearing of Rokan Hilir Regency election results dispute, Thursday (4/2/2021). Photo by Humas MK/Ilham.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The Rokan Hulu Regency General Elections Commission (KPU) strongly refuted the arguments of Candidate Pair No. 3 Hafith Syukri-Erizal at the second hearing of the 2020 regional head election (pilkada) results dispute case No. 70/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 on Thursday afternoon, February 4, 2021. The Panel II justices heard the responses by the Respondent, the statements by the Relevant Party and the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), and approved the evidence.

The Respondent believes the Constitutional Court (MK) isn’t authorized to examine, adjudicate, and decide on the petition. “Because the Petitioner didn’t challenge the vote acquisition that could significantly [affected] the certification of the winning candidate pair, but only questioned the domination of Candidate Pair No. 2 Sukiman-Indra Gunawan in the vote acquisition as something unusual and full of manipulation,” said attorney Sudi Prayitno.

Also read: Court Examines Dispute Cases of Rokan Hulu, Rokan Hilir, Kuantan Singingi Elections 

The Respondent emphasized that the petition was obscure. The revision conveyed by the Petitioner before the Court on January 29, 2021 wasn’t of the petition registered on December 23, 2020 at 23:43 WIB—which based on a letter by the Court’s Registrar’s Office was still within the revision deadline—but of the initial petition filed on December 18, 2020.

“The petition became obscure, both materially and formally,” Sudi stressed before panel chair Deputy Chief Justice Aswanto alongside Constitutional Justices Suhartoyo and Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh.

The Respondent also believes the Petitioner was inconsistent. On one hand, they requested that the Court annul the Rokan Hulu Regency KPU decree on the certification of Candidate Pair No. 2 as the winning candidate pair. On the other hand, they requested that the Court transfer all valid votes for Candidate Pair No. 2 to them.

The Respondent also responded to the Petitioner’s allegation of manipulation of documents by members of the polling station working committee (KPPS) or people who claimed to be KPPS members when filling in the C Model copies of minutes and certificates of vote counting results at the TPS.

“The Petitioner didn’t explain clearly the KPPS members who were suspected and how they were involved in the manipulation of documents,” Sudi said.

Meanwhile, the regency Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) responded the Petitioner’s claim of a typo the Respondent made in the certification of the candidate pairs’ vote acquisition, which reads that the Rokan Hulu regent Candidate Pair No. 2 was Ir. H. Hafith Syukri, M.M.-H. Erizal, S.T. After an inspection, Bawaslu didn’t find any evidence and document containing such typo and ruled the Petitioner’s claim legally groundless. Bawaslu also echoed the KPU’s rebuff of alleged document manipulation by KPPS members or people who claimed to be KPPS members.

Meanwhile, the Relevant Party through attorney Suryono Pane emphasized that the Petitioner didn’t make any argument against the vote counting results that could affect the winning candidate pair.

“The Petitioner only alleged mobilization of voters at 25 TPS [polling stations] in North Tambusai Subdistrict. The Petitioner also alleged that the vote margin was caused by KPPS members not being professional and by manipulation of documents by KPPS members or people who claimed to be KPPS members when filling in the C Model copies of minutes and certificates of vote counting results at the TPS. The petition’s substance is not the object of an election results dispute,” Suryono said.

Petition for Rokan Hilir Regency Withdrawn

Rokan Hilir Regency Candidate Pair No. 2 Suyatno-Jamiludin withdrew petition No. 85/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021, said attorney Fauziah Aznur at the second hearing of the Rokan Hilir Regency election dispute case on Thursday afternoon, February 4, 2021.

“As witnessed by the [litigating] parties at the hearing, the withdrawal of petition No. 85 was signed by Candidate Pair No. 2. The legal team of Candidate Pair No. 2 didn’t sign [the request]. The Court will respond to the request for withdrawal in the ruling hearing. The [litigating] parties will be notified of the ruling hearing schedule by the Registrar’s Office,” said Constitutional Justice Suhartoyo.

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 02/05/2021 16:10 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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