Legal counsel Pither Ponda Barany (left) at the preliminary examination hearing for Case No. 297/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the Tolikara regent election results dispute, Thursday (1/16/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – Tolikara regent-vice regent candidates 02 Nus Weya and Yan Wenda filed a petition on the Tolikara regent election results dispute. The Petitioners in Case No. 297/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 alleged multiple violations that impacted the vote count, including the failure to conduct vote count recapitulations in several districts.

Pither Ponda Barany, the Petitioners’ legal counsel, presented the argument during the preliminary examination hearing for the Tolikara regent election dispute on Thursday, January 16, 2025, in Panel 3 courtroom. He emphasized unimplemented recommendations from the Tolikara Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) and the exclusion of several districts from the vote recapitulation.

"There are unimplemented Bawaslu recommendations, and several districts have not been included in the vote count," emphasized Pither before Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat (panel chair), Anwar Usman, and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3.

According to Pither, the Petitioners’ argument was based on the results of the vote count carried out by the Respondent as follows: Irinus Wanimbo-Arsan obtained 41,432 votes, Nus Weya-Yan Wenda received 42,191 votes, Dinus Wanimbo-Gamael Eldorando secured 45,136 votes, and Willem Wandik-Yotam Wonda gained 61,925 votes.

At the hearing, Pither stated that the Respondent had failed to count votes from six districts, significantly impacting the Petitioners' vote acquisition. Additionally, the Petitioners raised allegations of ballot box confiscation, intimidation, and violence in several districts, including Anawi, Gilubandu, and Telenggeme.

The Petitioners also claimed in their petition that their calculated vote count results showed Irinus Wanimbo-Arsan with 38,584 votes; Nus Weya-Yan Wenda with 63,939 votes; Dinus Wanimbo-Gamael Eldorando with 41,801 votes; and Willem Wandik-Yotam Wonda with 61,483 votes, totaling 205,807 valid votes.

The Petitioners requested the Court to disqualify Candidate Pair 04 Willem Wandik and Yotam Wonda from the 2024 Tolikara regent election and annul the Tolikara Election Commission (KPU) Decree No. 349, dated December 16, 2024, on the certification of the election vote count recapitulation. Additionally, they asked the Court to certify the vote acquisition based on their calculations, which stated that Irinus Wanimbo-Arsan R. Kagoya received 38,584 votes, Nus Weya-Yan Wenda obtained 63,939 votes, Dinus Wanimbo-Gamael Eldorando gained 41,801 votes, and Willem Wandik-Yotam Wonda secured 61,483 votes.(*)

Author  : Utami Argawati
Editor   : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR : Tiara Agustina
Translator     : Nazila Rikhusshuba/FS (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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