The Petitioner’s legal counsel Nopiansyah attending a ruling hearing for the 2024 legislative election results dispute of West Sumatera Province, Monday (6/10/2024). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected the 2024 DPRD (Regional Legislative Council) election results dispute petition of Solok Regency in electoral district Solok 3, West Sumatera Province for case No. 145-01-02-03/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024 on Monday, June 10, 2024. The petition was filed by Gerindra (the Great Movement Party). The Court considered the unsealed ballot boxes in Nagari Koto Baru was not related to the vote acquisition of the Petitioner or other political parties.

“The Court considers the issue is not related to the vote acquisition, either of the Petitioner or of other parties,” said Constitutional Justice M. Guntur Hamzah reading out the Court’s legal considerations at the ruling hearing on Monday, June 10, 2024.

Gerindra argued that instructions from the election organizers had circulated on the WhatsApp group of and verbally among the Koto Baru Village KPPS (polling station working committee) not to lock and seal the ballot boxes containing ballot papers, voting minutes, and certificate of vote counting results to the PPS (polling committee). the voting minutes and vote counting certificates that were not locked and sealed were collected at the Koto Baru Village chief’s office and the KPPS continued filling in the voting minutes and vote counting certificates at the Islamic Center Mosque, which is about four kilometers from the village chief’s office.

Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) suggested that this was a violation of the election organizer’s code of ethics. Solok Regency followed this up by issuing a written warning and the person concerned has been sanctioned for the violation. This means that the action was proven to be an ethical violation and has been subject to sanctions under statutory regulations.

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Gerindra Witness Highlights Recapitulation Irregularities in Solok 3 District

Gerindra argued that election organizers, especially the polling station working committees (KPPS), the polling committees (PPS), and the subdistrict election committees (PPK), had carried out actions that tarnished democracy in several villages in Kubung Subdistrict, Solok Regency, i.e. in Koto Baru, Selayo, Saok Laweh, and Panyakalan.

“The initial violation was in instructions from the election organizers circulating on the WhatsApp group of Koto Baru Village KPPS, who were directly instructed by Koto Baru PPS, either verbally or via the WhatsApp group, not to lock and seal the ballot boxes containing ballot papers, voting minutes, and certificate of vote counting results to PPS. This is confirmed by a video of the incident,” said Gerinda’s attorney Aermadepa at the preliminary hearing.

The Petitioner also argued that the voting minutes and vote counting certificates that were not locked and sealed were collected at the Koto Baru Village chief’s office and KPPS continued filling in the voting minutes and vote counting certificates at the Islamic Center Mosque, which is about four kilometers from the village chief’s office. Furthermore, when the recapitulation was carried out at the Kubung Subdistrict level, because there were many differences between the C-copies held by all witnesses and the C-result (plano) forms, the PPK and PPS carried out a review of the witnesses’ C-copies.

“The revision to the voting minutes and vote counting certificates was carried out and signed by the PPK without the knowledge of the KPPS as the party that issued the documents,” Aermadepa added.

The incident of unsealed ballot boxes after counting at the polling stations and unilateral changes to the vote results on the C-result copy, which was then recorded on the subdistrict D-result form have allegedly harmed the Petitioner as an election participant. The Petitioner argued that, if the election was carried out honestly and fairly in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, it could potentially win the most votes.

Author              : Mimi Kartika
Editor               : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                    : Fauzan Febriyan
Translators       : M. Ariva Aswin Bahar/Yuniar W.

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

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