The Petitioners’ legal counsel Parulian Siregar testifying at the mayoral election results dispute case 08/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2, Friday (1/10/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh.

---

JAKARTA (MKRI) — Mayor-Vice Mayor Candidate Pair 03 of Lhokseumawe City Ismail and Azhar Mahmud filed a petition disputing the mayoral election results to the Constitutional Court (MK). They alleged there had been double voting allowed by KPPS (polling station working committee). There was even triple-voting at three different polling stations (TPS) close to each other.

“However, there is no prohibition by KPPS members and polling station supervisors,” said Parulian Siregar before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani at the preliminary hearing for Case Number 08/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on panel 2 on Friday, January 10, 2025.

The Petitioners explained that the incidents had occurred at several polling stations in Muara Dua District, at TPS 001, 002, 003, and 004 of Meunasah Blang Village; TPS 001, 002, 003, and 004 of Menasah Mee Village; TPS 001, 002, 003, and 004 of Blang Crum Village; TPS 001, 002, and 003 Cut Mamplam Village; and TPS 001 and 002 of Menasah Manyang Village. For example, at TPS 001 of Meunasah Blang a voter who was not registered on the permanent voter list (DPT) entered the polling station to cast ballots multiple times.

However, according to the Petitioners, due to the pressure from the head of Meunasah Blang Village to the witnesses, they were not able to conduct a protest at the polling stations. The Petitioners have made a report of the alleged violations to the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih (Elections Supervisory Committee).

The Petitioners claimed that the actual number of votes for Candidate Pair Number 2 was 28,414 votes and 31,016 for Candidate Pair Number 3. They also said votes for Candidate Pair 2 were reduced due to reduction in Candidate Pair 3’s votes. Thus, the number of votes for the Petitioners should have been higher than that for Candidate Pair 2 (Relevant Party). Meanwhile, the votes of each candidate pair as certified by the Independent Elections Commission (KIP) of Lhokseumawe City were 2,881 votes for Candidate Pair 1 Azhari-Zulkarnen; 34,962 votes for Candidate Pair 2 Sayuti Abu Bakar-Husaini; 32,009 votes for Candidate Pair 3 Ismail-Azhar Mahmud; and 21,784 votes for Candidate 4 Fathani-Zarkasyi.

In their petitums, the Petitioners requested the Court to annul the Lhokseumawe City KIP Decree Number 700 of 2024 regarding the recapitulation of the votes counting results of the 2024 Lhokseumawe mayoral election dated December 2, 2024 relating to the polling stations mentioned and ordered the KIP to carry out a revote at those polling stations.

Author         : Mimi Kartika
Editor          : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR               : Fauzan Febriyan
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.

---