Legal counsel Muhtar Latief testifying at the hearing for case No. 160/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2, Wednesday (1/8/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Pandeglang regent-vice regent candidates Fitron Nur Ikhsan-Diana Drimawati Jayabaya stated that there were structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations where civil servants had been mobilized in the 2024 Pandeglang regent election, said Fitron-Diana’s legal counsel at the preliminary hearing of the 2024 regent election results dispute for case No. 160/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on Wednesday, January8, 2025.

“Massive mobilization of civil servants in the campaign team in a structured, systematic, and massive manner, where all echelon 2 become regional coordinators in districts and villages, including village heads as well as chairpersons of neighborhood units, community units, and integrated health service post cadres throughout Pandeglang Regency,” said the Petitioners’ legal counsel Muhtar Latief before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2 in one of the Court’s panel courtrooms.

The campaign team had mobilized structural officials, funding, programs, and tiered intimidation down to the polling station level by dividing civil servants into levels in campaign sub-teams. In campaigning for Candidate Pair 02 Dewi Setiani and Iing Andri Supriadi, the civil servants always employed intimidation by stating that the candidate pair had received an order to “stand straight” down to the provincial level, as evidenced by the presence of law enforcement officers at polling stations.

The Petitioners stated that the campaign team had influenced voters ahead of the voting by evenly distributing money of Rp50,000 to Rp70,000 to 60 percent of the final voters list (DPT). The Petitioners revealed that a viral video on social media showed the money distribution involving regent candidate Dewi Setiani in Kadu Gubang Hamlet in Gunung Puteri Village, Pandeglang Regency. Despite receiving reports both from the candidate pairs and the public, Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) and/or Gakkumdu (Integrated Law Enforcement Center) have not followed up on the grounds that the allegations were unfounded.

Besides, the Petitioners suspect that incumbent regent Irna Narulita took action to benefit Candidate Pair 02 by gathering village heads throughout Pandeglang Regency to make a video supporting Dewi-Iing Andri. The reason is that this definitive regent is the sister-in-law of regent candidate Dewi. The Petitioners also alleged that Irna Narulita had mobilized and deployed a number of department heads within the Pandeglang Regency Government to be the key to the campaign team of Dewi-Iing Andri.

The Petitioners requested the Court to annul the Decree of the General Election Commission (KPU) No. 2956 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Pandeglang regent-vice regent election results dated December 5, 2024. In addition, the Petitioners requested the Court to disqualify Dewi Setiani-Iing Andri Supriadi as the winner and/or elected candidates. They also requested the Court to order the Pandeglang Regency KPU to issue a decree certifying Candidate Pair 01 Fitron-Diana as the winning and/or elected candidates in the 2024 Pandeglang regent election and/or to conduct a revote at all polling stations in Pandeglang Regency without including Candidate Pair 02.

The Pandeglang regent election was contested by four candidate pairs: Candidate Pair 01 Fitron Nur Ikhsan-Diana Drimawati Jayabaya (181,915 votes); Candidate Pair 02 Dewi Setiani-Iing Andri Supriadi (434,856 votes); Candidate Pair 03 Udah Suhada-Pujiyanto (9,369 votes); and Candidate Pair 04 Aap Aptadi-Ratu Anita Tristiawati (22,517 votes). Meanwhile, the number of voters was 994,226, spread across 35 districts and 339 villages with 1,926 polling stations.

The petition by Fitron-Diana can be accessed here.

Author              : Mimi Kartika
Editor                : N. Rosi
Translators        : Syifa Amelia/Yuniar Widiastuti (IA)

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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