The 2024 Pandeglang Regent Election Result Dispute, with the agenda including the hearing of testimonies from the Respondent, Relevant Party, and the Blitar City Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), as well as the validation of evidence from the parties, took place on Friday (1/17/2025). Photo by MKRI.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – A member of Pandeglang Regency Bawaslu (Election Supervisory Body), Iman Ruhmaawan stated that the Center of Integrated Law Enforcement (Gakkumdu) had a dissenting opinion in handling vote-buying allegation by Candidate Pair 02 Raden Dewi Setiani–Iing Andri Supriadi. Bawaslu said that the report meets elements of violation. Meanwhile, the police and the prosecutor's office determined that the allegations of vote-buying involving Dewi Setiani–the sister-in-law of incumbent Regent Irna Narulita, were not proven.

“Bawaslu believes that it meets the element [of violation], but police and prosecutor’s office think otherwise,” said Iman in the examination hearing for Case No. 160/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 concerning the Pandeglang Regency election results dispute in the Court on Friday, January 17, 2025.

Iman explained that Pandeglang Regency Bawaslu received two reports of alleged money politics, with one additional report being forwarded from the Banten Province Bawaslu. These three reports of alleged violations were connected to an event on November 8, 2024, where Dewi Setiani distributed 50,000 to orphans and the poor during a charity event attended by 29 people.

Therefore, the Pandeglang Regency Bawaslu reviewed the report and concluded that it met the elements of an election crime, forwarding it to the second discussion at the Gakkumdu Center. As a result, Bawaslu determined that the report fulfilled the necessary criteria for an election crime. However, the police concluded that the report could not be escalated to an investigation status until the video evidence underwent forensic laboratory testing. Meanwhile, the Pandeglang District Prosecutor believed that the report lacked certain elements required by the relevant article, necessitating further investigation, including witness testimony, evidence, and other materials. Ultimately, the Gakkumdu Center team concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the report as an election crime violation and decided to cease handling the case.

Meanwhile, the Pandeglang Regency KPU (the Respondent) said that Candidate Pair 01 Fitron Nur Ikhsan–Diana Drimawati (Petitioners) failed to prove any allegation of civil servants mobilization to influence or secure the win for Candidate Pair 02 Dewi Setiani–Iing Andri Supriadi in the 2024 Pandeglang Regency election.

“The Petitioners has also failed to prove the argument, [the allegation] influenced the number of votes received by the Candidate Pair or that it harmed the Petitioners’ vote in the Pandeglang Regency election," stated the Respondent's legal counsel M. Syahwan Arey before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2.

Also read: Fitron-Diana Challenge Mobilization of Civil Servants in Pandeglang Regency

The Petitioners claimed that the incumbent Regent Irna Narulita, Dewi Setiani's sister-in-law, enlisted the help of ASN, including the district head, village head, village secretary, and lower-level government officials, to secure the win for Candidate Pair 02. Furthermore, they alleged that Raden Dewi Setiani personally distributed money to the public, engaging in money politics to gain votes for Candidate Pair 02.

The Respondent revealed that Pandeglang Regency KPU has never received any recommendation letter or decision from Bawaslu concerning the violation committed by Candidate Pair 02, meaning that the Petitioners’ argument was a mere assumption without fact and evidence being processed by Bawaslu. They also argue that the Petitioners failed to prove that the violation influenced the vote acquisition of respective candidate pairs.

The Respondent explained that the Petitioners only signed the vote count recapitulation results in 10 districts, leaving 25 districts out of 35 districts in the Pandeglang Regency to remain unsigned. 

In the petitums, the Respondent requests the Court to reject the Petitoners’ petition in its entirety; to declare that the Pandeglang KPU Decree No. 2956 of 2024 concerning the certification of the 2024 Pandeglang Regency election results, dated December 5, 2024, is true and remains valid; and certify the correct vote acquisition as follows: Candidate Pair 01 Fitron Nur Ikhsan-Diana Drimawati Jayabaya received 181,915 votes, Candidate Pair 02 Dewi Setiani-Iing Andri Supriadi received 434,856 votes, Candidate Pair 03 Uday Suhada-Pujiyanto received 9,369 votes, and Candidate Pair 04 Aap Aptadi-Ratu Anita Tristiawati received 22,517 votes.

The Petitioners requested the Court to disqualify Candidate Pair 02 Dewi Setiani-Iing Andri Supriadi as the winner and/or elected candidate; order the Pandeglang Regency KPU to issue a decree certifying Candidate Pair 01 Fitron Nur Ikhsan-Diana Drimawati Jayabaya as the winner and/or elected candidates in the 2024 Pandeglang Regency election; and/or to conduct a revote at all polling stations in Pandeglang Regency without including Candidate Pair 02.

The petition for Case No. 160/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 can be accessed here.

Author : Mimi Kartika
Editor : N. Rosi
Translator : Syifa Amelia/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 Indonesians version will prevail.

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