The Petitioner’s legal counsel Fiili Latuamury and Warda at the preliminary hearing for Case Number 78/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 disputing the Buton regent election results, Wednesday (1/15/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The legality of the master’s diploma (“M.M.”) of Buton Candidate Number 06 Syarifudin Saafa was questioned during the nomination process for candidates for the 2024 Buton regency election. The reason is that the titled was obtained from Timbul Nusantara University postgraduate program in 2017, with the study starting in 2015. However, based on a verification letter by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, the candidate was not registered as a student in the management program whose diploma had been issued on November 10, 2017.

This is one of the arguments made in the petition filed by Candidate Pair Number 01 Syaraswati and Rasyid Mangura at the preliminary hearing for Case Number 78/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

“The alleged use of fake diploma has violated Article 184 of Law No. 10 of 2016 so the Respondent’s action/decision in certifying the Buton regent-vice regent candidates without the verification results of the last education certificate of the candidate in question is a legal defect and violates the principle of legal certainty,” the Petitioners’ legal counsel said Fiili Latuamury.

Vote Margin

The Petitioners also argued that the difference in vote acquisition with the Relevant Party (Candidate Pair Number 06) as announced by the Buton Regency KPU (Elections Commission, Respondent) was as follows: Candidate Number Pair 01 Syaraswati-Rasyid Mangura received 19,583 votes; Candidate Pair Number 02 La Bakri-Aris Marwansaputra received 6. 822 votes; Candidate Number 03 La Ode Naane-Akalim received 6,259 votes; Candidate Pair Number 04 received 3,380 votes; Candidate Pair Number 05 Bere Ali-Laode Muhammad Sumarlin received 4,130 votes; and Candidate Pair Number 06 received 22,462 votes.

There was a difference of 2,879 votes as a result of structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations from the beginning to the completion of the election, which greatly affected the Petitioners’ votes. Therefore, the Petitioners request the cancellation of the certification of the 2024 Buton regent election results in the Buton Regency KPU Decree Number 840 of 2024.

At TPS (polling station) 6 in Kombeli Village of Pasar Wajo District, a number of ballot papers had been cast before being signed by the KPPS (polling station working committee) chairman and the Petitioners’ witnesses. At TPS 3 of Kambula Village of Pasar Wajo Bulana District, some ballot papers with torn-off heads of the candidates were considered invalid. At TPS 1 of Kambula Bulana, such ballot papers were considered valid and this problem was reported to the Pasar Wajo PPK (district election committee) as recorded in the D-incident model forms of Buton KPU dated December 1, 2024.

The Petitioner also argued about the performance of the election organizers. For example, 12,463 voters did not cast their votes due to the non-compliance of the KPPS, who refused to hand over the C-notification-KWK to the voters’ families when the voters were not seen at their residences. This occurred in Kapontori District with 1,314 voters, Lasalimu District with 1,004 voters, Pasar Wajo District with 5,063 voters, Siotapina District with 2,043 voters, Wabula District 748 voters, and Wolowa District 683 voters.

“The Petitioners requested the Court to disqualify Alvin Akawijaya Putra-Syarifudin Saafa, Candidate Pair Number 06 in the 2024 Buton regent election; to order the Buton Regency KPU to immediately to conduct a revote at all polling stations in Buton Regency or at least at TPS 6 in Kombeli Village of Pasar Wajo District; TPS 3 of Kambula Village of Pasar Wajo Bulana District; TPS 3 of Dongkala Village of Pasar Wajo District; TPS 2 of Barangka Village of Kapontori District; and all polling stations in Siotapina District; to order the Buton Regency KPU to implement this decision no later than two months after this decision is pronounced; to order Buton Regency Bawaslu to oversee and supervise the revote process,” Fiili Latuamury asserted.

Also read the petition for Case Number 78/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025.

Author         : Sri Pujianti
Editor           : N. Rosi
Translator    : Dinta Aktivia/Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

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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