Johanis Kuway and Lodwyk Wessy, the Petitioners' legal counsels at the preliminary hearing of the Tanimbar Islands regent election results dispute, Tuesday (1/14/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court (MK) held a preliminary hearing of Case Number 243/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the Tanimbar Islands regent election results dispute on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on panel 1. In the case, Regent Candidate Pair 1 Adolof Bormasa and Henrikus Serin are the Petitioners.

Meanwhile, the case positions the Tanimbar Islands KPU (Elections Commission) as the Respondent and Candidate Pair 3 Ricky Jauwerissa and Juliana Chatarina Ratuanak as the Relevant Party.

The Petitioners proposed several arguments in their petition, including money politics or vote buying in a structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) manner in seven out of ten districts in the regency. They claimed that the vote buying took place between October 3 and November 26, 2024 and impacted the regent election contest.

"A series of election violations in the form of money politics was done in a structured, systematic, and massive manner that could influence the voters to only vote for one candidate pair, which is the Relevant Party", said Lodwyk Wessy, the legal counsel, while delivering the arguments.

Moreover, the Petitioners alleged violations committed by the election organizers, among which the inaction of the polling station working committee and supervisory committee when some voters received instruction when voting.

The incidents occurred in Polling Station 1 of Kilon Village, Wuar Labobar District, in which four voters were escorted to their booths by the Relevant Party's campaign team. "This was done so that they could see and instruct voters to vote for the Relevant Party at the booth," said Lodwyk.

The Petitioners also highlighted the relocation of 40 ballot boxes from Selaru District to Saumlaki City. According to them, the vote recapitulation plenary session at the district level had not been conducted yet.

After delivering the arguments of the petition, the Petitioners requested the Court to annul the Tanimbar Islands No. 569 of 2024 on the 2024 regent election results, to disqualify the Relevant Party, and to order the Respondent to conduct a revote in all of the polling stations.

To note, Candidate Pair 3 of the regent election, Melkianus Sairdekut dan Kelvin Keliduan also filed a similar petition with Case No. 161/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025. Both petitions alleged TSM violations and positioned the Tanimbar Islands KPU as Respondent. However, due to mistakes in assigning the Relevant Party, the Case No. 161 was rendered to not meet the formal requirements.

The petition for Case No. 243/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 can be accessed here.

Also read: Resignation Requirement, Vote Buying, and Transfer of Ballot Boxes Challenged

Author : Ashri Fadilla

Editor : N. Rosi

Translator : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/FS

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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