Muhajir, the Democratic Party's legal representative, accompanied by other legal representatives, filed a petition on dispute of the results of the general election of members of the House of Representatives and the Regional Legislative Council (PHPU Legislative) in 2024 for the Electoral District Banten II, on Wednesday (7/31/2024) at  Constitutional Court Building II. Photo by MKRI/Panji.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Democratic Party returned to file a petition on the dispute of the results of the general election of members of the House of Representatives and the Regional Legislative Council (PHPU Legislative) in 2024 for the Electoral District (Dapil) Banten II, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at the Court’s  Building II. The application was submitted by Muhajir, the Democratic Party's legal representative, accompanied by other legal representatives.

After submitting the petition, Muhajir said that in the Court's decision on Thursday (6/6/2024) it was clear that the Court ordered to General Elections Commission to carry out the C-Results comparison in the vote tally of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). However, in fact, the General Election Commission of Serang City found that the C-Results at 20 polling stations were not exist or missing.

"Because of the loss of C-Results,  General Elections Commission did not want to carry out a comparison. In fact, political party witnesses have copies. Likewise,  the General Elections Commission and the Election Supervisory Agency also have copies of C1. That's what we asked for comparison. In the end, the plenary recapitulation of  the General Elections Commission  went toughly and the Democratic Party's vote tally was more superior than the PDIP's vote tally. After the comparison is in accordance with the Constitutional Court's decision, General Elections Commission should conduct a plenary recapitulation of the results of the comparison. However, in fact General Elections Commission actually opened the box and counted the votes. "That's what we objected to," said Muhajir when met the Court’s Media Team at the Court's building II.

Muhajir further explained that since the beginning his party believed that the ballot boxes at the 20 polling stations were not sterile. In fact, at the ballot box, many of the Democratic Party's votes in C1 were double, where there were two votes. Meanwhile, the copies held by witnesses of the political parties participating in the election and those held by General Elections Commission and the Election Supervisory Agency themselves, the Democratic Party was more superior.

"There were no duplicate votes, that's why we filed an objection here. And previously we also submitted objections at all levels, both at the Subdistrict Election Committee (PPK) level, at the General Elections Commission of  Serang City level, at the General Elections Commission of Banten Province level and at the Central General Elections Commission level. Apart from that, we have also submitted an objection to the Election Supervisory Agency but there has been no follow-up action. "Finally, the Indonesian General Elections Commission has carried out a national vote count, so within a period of 3x24 hours we are submitting further objections to 20 polling stations," he stressed.

According to him, the General Elections Commission  opening of boxes and counting of ballot papers had violated and deviated from the Court decision. He believed the Court is objective and fair. So in his petition, both posita and petitum, he hoped that the Court could determine the vote tally based on the data and evidence of the parties, especially those obtained based on previous trials.

"We believe that our vote share is superior than the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP)," said Muhajir. As previously reported, the Court granted the General Election Results Dispute (PHPU) lawsuit for the 2024 House of  Representative  Election for the Banten II electoral district submitted by the Democrats. According to Decision Number 183-01-14-16/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024, the Court ordered General Elections Commission  to compare the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) vote tally in form C Results for the House of Representatives with form D District Results.

"Declaring the results of the votes obtained by candidates for members of the the House of Representatives throughout the Banten II electoral district must be compared with the results regarding the votes of the Relevant Parties (PDIP) between C. the House of Representatives -Results and D. District- the House of Representatives Results," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo at the decision pronunciation hearing on Thursday (6/6/2024). In this decision, the Court ordered the General Elections Commission  to compare the votes at 120 polling stations in the Serang City and Serang Regency areas. The Democrats filed the lawsuit because they suspected that vote inflating had occurred against the central legislative candidates for the Banten II electoral district from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

“[The Court] declares that [on] the vote results for the House of Representatives candidates in the Banten II electoral district there must be a vote comparison for the votes for the Relevant Party (PDI-P) on the House of Representatives C-result forms and the subdistrict- House of Representatives D-result forms," ​​Chief Justice Suhartoyo announced at the ruling hearing on Thursday, June 6, 2024. In the decision, the Court instructed the General Elections Commission  to compare the votes at 120 polling stations in Serang City and Serang Regency.

For information, the General Elections Commission  held a plenary meeting for the national recapitulation of the 2024 Legislative Election on Sunday (7/28/2024) afternoon. This was done as a follow-up to the Court's decision which granted 44 legislative election dispute cases in 2024.

The Court has granted 44 of the 297 disputes over the 2024 legislative election with various decisions, ranging from re-voting, re-counting votes, re-vote recapitulation, or determining the results of the legislative election based on the Court's findings.

As of this evening, Wednesday (7/31/2024) at 19.25 WIB, the Court has received seven petitions for the 2024 Legislative Election Disputes. The complete details of the seven petitions can be seen on the Court’s page at this link: mkri.id.

Author            : Utami Argawati
Editor             : Nur R.
Translator       : Donny Yuniarto (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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