Legal counsel for the Petitioners, Rivaldi and Ridwan Bakar, at the preliminary hearing for Case Number 60/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 disputing the Payakumbuh City mayoral election results, Friday (1/10/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA, MKRI - Candidate pair 1 Supardi and Tri Venindra argued about structured, massive, and systematic (TSM) violations in the 2024 Payakumbuh mayoral election. Candidate pair 1 (Petitioners) filed the petition Number 60/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025, which was heard by Chief Justice Suhartoyo and accompanied by Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on Friday, January 10, 2025.

In this petition, the Payakumbuh City KPU (Elections Commission) is the Respondent and the Relevant Party is candidate pair number 3 Zulmaeta and Elzadaswarman.

The alleged TSM violations, according to the Petitioners, occurred in five districts: Lamposi Tigo Nagori, West Payakumbuh, South Payakumbuh, East Payakumbuh, and North Payakumbuh. The TSM violation in question was the collection of identity cards (KTP) and family cards (KK) of the voters.

Voters were each given a sheet of a “mandate letter.” They were also given Democrat Party member cards and the United Development Party (PPP) member cards. The Petitioners said that the mandate letter was intended to make it appear as if those who had been registered would act as mandate witnesses at polling stations (TPS).

“The mandate letter and party membership cards are an attempt to trick Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body), as if the money reward was not a vote-buying practice but was for mandate witnesses and party members,” stated the Petitioners’ legal counsel Rivaldi at the hearing.

The Petitioners claimed to have reported the allegation of violation to Payakumbuh City Bawaslu. The Petitioners alleged that on the day of the election, hundreds of people had lined up at the Democrat branch executive office waiting for the money reward. Later on Bawaslu visited the office.

The Petitioners claimed that at that moment, Payakumbuh City Bawaslu immediately made an arrest. The incident was then processed legally until investigation by the Police.

“And then this [the case was terminated], Your Honors, because the suspect had run away,” Rivaldi claimed.

In their petition, the Petitioners said that the amount of money distributed ranged from Rp50 thousand to Rp300 thousand. “The money was distributed in almost all five districts of Payakumbuh City, ranging from 50 thousand to 300 thousand,” he said.

In its petitums, the Petitioners requested that the Court cancel the Payakumbuh City KPU Decree Number 636 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Payakumbuh mayoral election results, disqualify the Relevant Party, and order the Respondent to conduct a revote at all polling stations in Payakumbuh.

“[The revote] should take place no later than three months after the Court decision is read out, without including Candidate Pair Number 3 Zulmaeta and Elzadaswarman,” said the Petitioners’ legal counsel, Ridwan Bakar.

Also read the petition for Case Number 60/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025.

Author            : Ashri Fadilla
Editor             : N. Rosi
Translators     : Dinita Aktivia/Yuniar Widiastuti (RA)

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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