Petitioners' legal counsel Yustian Dewi Widiastuti (left) at the preliminary hearing of the Tambrauw regent election results dispute, Thursday (1/16/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court (MK) held a preliminary hearing on the Tambrauw regent election results dispute on Thursday, January 16, 2025. The hearing for Case No. 231/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025 was presided over by Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Anwar Usman and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3. The petition was lodged by Regent Candidate Pair 3 Thomas Kofiaga and Pieter Mambrasar (Petitioners).

The Petitioners' legal counsel Yustian Dewi Widiastuti argued that the certification process of the regent election's final voters list (DPT) sparked controversy. For instance, only the chair and two commissioners of the Tambrauw Elections Commission (KPU) signed Minute No. 984/PL.02.I-BA/9604/2024 on the recapitulation and the certification of DPT in Tambrauw Regency. The remaining five commissioners' signatures were missing and thus the minute's validity is questioned.

"The DPT certification was not signed by five commissioners of the KPU, only the Chair and two commissioners [signed]. This was evidenced in P-6," said Yustian. 

According to the Petitioners, the decree was invalid because it contradicts the principle of collectivity and collegiality. A decree should involve the whole commissioner board, since DPT is a foundational document upon which the constitutional rights of the election participants and voters are guaranteed.

The Petitioners also believe that the DPT drafted by the Respondent (KPU) contained anomalies. For instance, the number of voters jumped significantly in a short time. In the general election held three months earlier, there were 21,792 voters listed in the regency. However, in the regent election held in the same year, additional 974 voters were recorded, making the total listed in the DPT to be 22,766 voters.

"At the presidential and legislative elections, there were 21,792 [voters] in the DPT, but in the regional election only a few months later, the number rose to 22,766. There is an anomalous increase of 974 voters," the Petitioners insisted.

Furthermore, the Petitioners referred to the data released by Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS), which states there were 20,525 people aged 15-59 in the Tambrauw Regency in 2024. Thus, they argued the number in the DPT to be invalid and illogical.

Yustian also highlighted another irregularity during the revote carried out in Banfot Village, Fef District. "After a revote was conducted, [it was found out] only seven had ID cards in the village. Therefore, only seven votes were cast in the revote. The cumulative vote of the revote is only seven votes," Yustian noted.

In their petitums, the Petitioner requested that the Court grant their petition for its entirety and annul the Tambrauw KPU Decree No. 1342 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 regent election results issued on December 6, 2024 at 20:25 WIT.

Author : Utami Argawati

Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.

PR : Tiara Agustina

Translator : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/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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