The Petitioners’ legal counsels Risky Dewi Ambarwati (left) and Bayu Aditya Putra (right) at the preliminary hearing for the East Bolaang Mongondow regent election results dispute, Tuesday (1/14/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Regent-Deputy Regent Candidate Pair 2 Sam Sachrul Mamonto-Rusmin Mokoagow challenge the East Bolaang Mongondow KPU (Elections Commission) decree on the certification of the election results. The preliminary hearing for Case Number 105/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 was presided over by Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Anwar Usman and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3.

To note, the regent election was participated by two candidate pairs and resulted in 27,853 votes for Candidate Pair 1 and 25,165 votes for the Petitioners. As Petitioners, Sam Sachrul Mamonto and Rusmin Mokoagow argued three clusters of violations in the election: voter intimidation, vote buying, and voting by ineligible parties.

In the first cluster, they indicated intimidations by their rival’s campaign team. These were allegedly done to the voters at TPS (polling stations) 1 and 2 of Pinonobatuan Village, TPS 2 of Moyongkota Induk Village, West Modayag District, and TPS 1 of Bongkudai Baru Village, Mooat District.

“At at least five polling stations, the parties who intimidated [the voters] were suspected to be from the campaign team of Candidate Pair 1,” stated Bayu Aditya Putra, the Petitioners’ legal counsel.

“Rusdy Gumalangit made verbal threats and threatened to fight several community members who were going to exercise their right to vote, in front of the polling stations,” Bayu continued.

The second violation involves money politics, in which the investigation division of the East Bolaang Mongondow Police and the Modayag district supervisory committee (Panwascam) caught Abdullah Koi of bringing Rp12.6 million, which was the remaining cash that had been distributed to the people.

“Based on his testimony, [Abdullah Koi] received money from a man named Pandito, a registered member of the campaign team of Regent Candidate 1,” said Bayu.

Lastly, the Petitioners argued there were ineligible voters who had voted anyway because the East Bolaang Mongondow KPU had given ballot papers to people who were not listed in the final voters list (DPT).

There were allegedly 15 of such people at TPS 1 of Modayag Village, 20 at TPS 2 of Modayag Village, eight at TPS 1 of Modayag 2 Village, 11 at TPS 2 of Modayag 2 Village, seven at TPS 3 of Modayag 2 Village, and 12 at TPS 2 of Tobongon Village. Moreover, the Petitioners argued that there had been mobilization of voters from outside of Bongkudai Village, West Modayag District.

In their petitums, the Petitioners requested that the Court annul the East Bolaang Mongondow KPU Decree No. 728 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 regent election results dated December 4, 2024. Furthermore, they requested the Court to impose administrative sanctions of annulment or disqualification to Candidate Pair 1 as election participants.

In addition, they requested the Court to order the East Bolaang Mongondow KPU to conduct a revote at TPS 1 and 2 of East Liberia Village, TPS 1 and 2 of Modayag Village, TPS 1, 2, and 3 of Modayag 2 Village, TPS 2 of Tobongon Village, TPS 1 and 2 of Pinonobatuan Village, TPS 2 of Moyongkota Induk Village, TPS 1 of Bongkudai Baru Village, and TPS 1 of Moyongkota Baru Village.

Author         : Nawir Arsyad Akbar
Editor           : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR               : Tiara Agustina
Translators  : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/Yuniar Widiastuti (NL) (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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