Mardiana Rusli testifying on behalf of Bawaslu at the examination hearing on the gubernatorial election case No. 257/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025 before panel 2 justices, Monday (1/20/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – The South Sulawesi Provincial KPU (Elections Commission) as the Respondent explained that numerous voters had failed to sign the attendance list at TPS (polling station) 013 in Kluku Bodoa Village, Tallo District, Makassar City. This statement was made at the examination hearing for the election results dispute Case No. 257/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025 in the Constitutional Court (MK) on Monday, January 20, 2025. The Respondent stated that 51 voters had been reminded to wait in the queue chairs before voting but proceeded to cast their votes without signing the final voters attendance list (DPT).

“These voters immediately entered the polling stations during a rush of arriving voters and proceeded to vote in the booths after receiving their ballots,” said the Respondent’s legal counsel Hifdzil Alim. The hearing for this case was presided over by Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2.

Hifdzil further explained that many voters had not signed the attendance list because they were in a hurry to go to work or needed to return home. Additionally, 14 other voters at the same polling station had signed the attendance list, but their signatures did not match those on their ID cards. According to the Respondent, this does not indicate manipulation of the attendance list, as alleged by the Petitioners. The Respondent denied any forged or fake signatures in the attendance lists across 19 regencies/cities. Furthermore, no recommendations or decisions were issued by the South Sulawesi Provincial Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) to the South Sulawesi KPU regarding the alleged violations.

Furthermore, Candidate Pair 02 Andi Sudirman Sulaiman and Fatmawati Rusdi as the Relevant Party denied the Petitioners’ allegations of the involvement of state civil apparatus (ASN), Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, and South Sulawesi interim governor Zudan Arif Fakrulloh. However, according to Damang, the Relevant Party’s legal counsel, the neutrality of ASN, especially if their actions had been based on personal initiative without instruction or invitation from a candidate pair, carried direct consequences for the ASN. These consequences may include institutional sanctions under ASN regulations and potential criminal liability.

Finally, Mardiana Rusli, a member of South Sulawesi Provincial Bawaslu, stated that there had been no alleged violations or objections from witnesses supporting the Petitioners’ argument regarding the voter attendance list. Additionally, the Petitioners’ witnesses had signed the C-copy result KWK governor forms and/or C-results KWK governor forms at several polling stations cited in the argument. Meanwhile, the report alleging a violation of neutrality by the interim governor of South Sulawesi could not be registered because the reporter had failed to complete or amend the report within the specified deadline.

Also read: Alleged ASN Involvement and Nepotism in South Sulawesi Election

At the previous hearing, Candidate Pair 01 Moh Ramdhan Pomanto and Azhar Arsyad (Petitioners) requested the Court to disqualify Candidate Pair 02 Andi Sudirman Sulaiman and Fatmawati Rusdi from the gubernatorial election. They also sought the annulment of South Sulawesi KPU Decree No. 3119 of 2024, on the certification of the 2024 South Sulawesi gubernatorial election, invalidating all votes obtained by Candidate Pair 02. Additionally, they requested the Court to instruct the South Sulawesi KPU to issue a decree declaring Candidate Pair 01 with a total of 1,600,029 votes or alternatively, to order a revote at all polling stations.

Author              : Mimi Kartika
Editor                : Tiara Agustina
PR                    : Fauzan Febriyan
Translator         : Nazila Rikhusshuba/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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