The legal counsel team of Rico Waas and Zakiyuddin Harahap while applying as Related Parties in the 2024 Mayoral Election Result Dispute (PHP Walkot), Monday (1/6/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA, (MKRI) – Candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Medan, Rico Waas and Zakiyuddin Harahap (Rico-Zakiyuddin), have applied as Related Parties in the 2024 Medan mayoral election results dispute (PHP Walkot) to the Constitutional Court (MK). The petition, submitted by Rico-Zakiyuddin's legal team, was officially received by the Constitutional Court in person on Monday morning (06/01/2025) at the Constitutional Court building in Jakarta.

Rico-Zakiyuddin's legal counsel, Syarwani, expressed confidence ahead of the 2025 regional election result disputes (PHP Kada) hearing. He stated that his team remains optimistic about defending their votes in the Medan mayoral election and securing victory in the hearing at the Constitutional Court. This optimism stems from the belief that the Medan City General Election Commission (KPU Kota Medan), as the Respondent in the dispute, has performed its duties and exercised its authority in accordance with the law.

"The Medan City KPU has performed exceptionally well and has properly executed all stages of the 2024 Medan Mayor Election," said Syarwani during an interview.

In addition, Syarwani expressed optimism that Rico-Zakiyuddin would prevail in the mayoral election dispute at the Court due to the significant vote margin between Rico-Zakiyuddin and the Petitioner, which stands at 107,000 votes He emphasized that this margin surpasses the threshold required to file a petition, which is a fundamental condition for bringing such a case to the Court.

“If we examine Article 158 of the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) Law, which outlines the threshold for filing a PHP Kada petition in the Constitutional Court, we have clearly met the requirement. The law stipulates a margin of 0.5 times the valid votes, which amounts to a maximum of 3,018 votes. Currently, the vote difference stands at 107,000 votes,” said Syarwani during the interview.

Rico-Zakiyuddin’s Hope to the Constitutional Court in Medan Election Dispute

Furthermore, Syarwani expressed hope that the Court would carefully consider the provisions of Article 158 of the Pilkada Law when adjudicating the mayoral election result dispute, including the Medan case. He emphasized that there should be no delay in applying the norms of Article 158 of the Pilkada Law during the dispute resolution process, as it serves as one of the legal foundations for resolving the matter.

“We hope that there will be no delay in the implementation of Article 158 of the Pilkada Law, and we respectfully request this to the Court,” said Syarwani during the interview.

In addition, Syarwani is confident that the Court will issue a NO (Niet Ontvankelijk) decision on the mayoral election result dispute. This is because the petition does not meet the requirements of threshold as stipulated in Article 158 of the Pilkada Law, indicating there is no urgency for the Court to proceed further with the Petitioner's petition.

 “There is nothing substantive that requires us to wait for the next evidentiary agenda,” said Syarwani during the interview.

For your information, based on the monitoring of the 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada Case Petition List on the Constitutional Court website as of Monday (January 6, 2025) at 19:21 WIB, a total of 310 cases were registered. These included 23 Governor Election Result Disputes, 238 Regent Election Result Disputes, and 49 Mayor Election Result Disputes. Out of the 310 petitions, 150 were filed online through simpel.mkri.id, while 160 petitions were submitted in person at the Constitutional Court Building in Jakarta. (*)

Author         : Ahmad Sulthon Zainawi
Editor          : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator    : Fuad Subhan

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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