Indonesian Ambassador to Russia and Belarus Jose Antonio Morato Tavares welcoming Justice Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and the Constitutional Court’s delegation, Monday (2024/6/24). Photo by Pradan.

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MOSCOW (MKRI) — The delegation of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) led by Constitutional Justice Daniel Yusmic Pancastaki Foekh made an official visit to Russia. To kick off their agenda, the MKRI delegation held a coordination meeting with the Indonesian Embassy at Novokuznetskaya Ulitsa No. 12, Moscow, Russia on Monday, June 24, 2024.

Directly welcomed by the Indonesian ambassador to Russia and Belarus Jose Antonio Morato Tavares along with his staff, Justice Foekh stated the purpose of the delegation’s visit. The delegation is attending an international conference hosted by the Constitutional Court of Russia as well as the twelfth St. Petersburg International Legal Forum organized by the Russian Ministry of Justice from Wednesday to Friday, June 26-28, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The MKRI and the Constitutional Court of Russia have long maintained good relations and are both members of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC).

“This kind of institutional cooperation was initiated a long time ago, starting from the first chief justice of the [MKRI] to the current chief justice, and it continues to be maintained,” said Justice Foekh.

Additionally, he explained the MKRI’s authority and duties, particularly in resolving the 2024 election results disputes. The elections were held simultaneously to elect the president and vice president as well as legislative candidates. The MKRI had 14 days to resolve disputes over the presidential election results and 30 workdays to resolve those over the legislative election results. Within this limited timeframe, the Court managed to resolve a total of 299 cases, consisting of 2 presidential election cases and 297 legislative election cases.

Furthermore, the justice, born in Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara Province, mentioned that the presidential election dispute was handled by only eight justices due to sanctions from the Constitutional Court Ethics Council (MKMK). There was also a dissenting opinion, which was the first time in the history of presidential election dispute resolution by the Constitutional Court.

All nine justices who adjudicated disputes over the legislative election results were divided into three panels. Each panel consisted of three justices. Each panel was led by the chief justice, the deputy chief justice, and a justice who had previously served as a chief justice or had the longest tenure as a constitutional justice. The chairperson of each panel must come from a different nominating institution.

“Each panel [has constitutional justices] who [were nominated by] the president, the Supreme Court (MA), and the DPR (House of Representatives). Each of these representatives was designated as chairperson of a panel, making this a sort of constitutional convention,” Justice Foekh stated.

The dialogue and discussion felt relaxed and friendly, especially since Justice Foekh and Ambassador Jose Tavares’ mother hailed from the same province. After exchanging mementos, the coordination meeting concluded with a group photo of the MKRI delegation with the Indonesian ambassador and his team. Before concluding their visit, the MKRI delegation was invited to tour the Indonesian Embassy complex and enjoy tea at the Embassy Residence while viewing photos showcasing the cooperation between Indonesia and Russia since the era of President Soekarno.

Author              : Alboin
Editor               : Nur R.
Translators       : Naomi Andrea Zebua/Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

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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