The Petitioners’ legal counsel Nurul Azmi (left) at the preliminary hearing for case number 54/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 disputing the Buol regent election results, Monday (1/13/2025) in panel 3 courtroom. Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Buol regent and vice regent Candidate Pair Number 5 Mohammad Agris Dwi Putra Amran Batalipu-Djufrin Dj Manto have filed a petition to annul the Buol Regency KPU (Elections Commission) Decree Number 873 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Buol regent election results dated December 3, 2024. They made allegations of money politics against the Relevant Party in 13 districts of Buol Regency.

The preliminary hearing for Case Number 54/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 was presided over by Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat (panel chair), Anwar Usman, and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3 on Monday, January 13, 2025. Five candidate pairs participated in the Buol regent election with the following results: Candidate Pair Number 1 Abdullah Batalipu-Adidjoyo Dauda received 9,310 votes, Candidate Pair Number 2 Risharyudi Triwibowo-Mohammad Nasir Dj Daimaroto won 35,286 votes, Candidate Pair Number 3 Arianto Tamin Riuh-Muammar A. Koloi gained 12,478 votes, Candidate Pair Number 4 Rusly Arip Umar-Abdullah Kawulusan received 1,530 votes, and the Petitioners gained 29,063 votes.

The Petitioners’ legal counsel Nurul Azmi argued that there were violations in the form of money politics committed by Candidate Pair Number 2 Risharyudi Triwibowo-Mohammad Nasir Dj Daimaroto. The violations occurred in at least 13 districts and 108 villages.

Money politics, Nurul explained, undermines the democratic process and is a violation of laws and regulations. As stipulated in Article 73 paragraph (1) of Law Number 10 of 2016 on the Second Amendment to Law Number 1 of 2015 on the Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 1 of 2015 on the Election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors into Law (Pilkada Law), “Candidates and/or Campaign teams shall be prohibited from promising and/or giving money or other materials to influence Election Organizers and/or Voters.”

The alleged vote buying by Candidate Pair Number 2 was in the form of distribution of tens of thousands of coupons throughout Buol Regency. The “Naga Bonar volunteers” coupons contained a photo of Candidate Pair Number 2, the identity of the recipient, the coupon registration number, and the name of the district or village coordinator. The coupon could be exchanged for money in the amount of Rp100,000 to Rp200,000.

“The main point of our petition is related to money politics across all districts of Buol Regency. We have made several reports to Buol Regency Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body),” said Nurul in panel 3 courtroom.

“So in this money politics practice, Your Honors, Candidate Pair Number 2 made a scheme where first the candidates gave coupons to voters, and here in our petition, we are only able to prove the distribution of coupons for Candidate Pair Number 2 at 54 locations,” he continued.

The Petitioners also raised an issue regarding Lakea District panwaslu (elections supervisory committee) staff Romi J. Timumun, who had allegedly committed vote buying in Bukaan Village of Lakea District.

In their petitums, the Petitioners asked the Court to cancel the Buol Regency KPU Decree Number 873 of 2024 dated December 3, 2024 regarding the certification of the 2024 Buol regent election results, especially the vote acquisition of Candidate Pair Number 2; to cancel the certification of Risharyudi Triwibowo-Mohammad Nasir Dj Daimaroto as regent-vice regent candidates based on the Buol Regency KPU Decree Number 444 of 2024 on the certification of  the 2024 Buol Regency regent-vice regent candidate pairs, which was stipulated on September 22, 2024.

The Petitioners also requested the Court to determine the results of the Buol regent election as follows: Candidate Number 1 Abdullah Batalipu-Adidjoyo Dauda with 9,310 votes, Candidate Number 3 Arianto Tamin Riuh-Muammar A. Koloi with 12,478 votes, Candidate Number 4 Rusly Arip Umar-Abdullah Kawulusan with 1,530 votes, and the Petitioners with 29,063 votes.

*) Correction: there was an error in the news previously titled “Alleged Money Politics in 13 Districts in Buol Regent Election Questioned.” We have since corrected the error.

Author            : Nawir Arsyad Akbar
Editor            : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                 : Tiara Agustina
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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