M. Idris testifying on behalf of Bawaslu at the examination hearing for the 2024 regent election case No. 08/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 to hear the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu, Tuesday (1/21/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Lhokseumawe Panwaslih (voter supervisory committee) chairperson Abdul Gani stated that the committee had received four reports of alleged violations at the 17 polling stations cited by the Petitioners. However, these reports were not registered as they did not meet the required criteria. Furthermore, the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih emphasized that no recommendation for a revote was issued.

“After being reviewed by Bawaslu, Your Honors, the four reports did not meet the formal and material requirements, except for one report—report number four by Midzuar—which only failed to meet the formal elements, Your Honors,” said Abdul Gani at the examination hearing for Case No. 08/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

Furthermore, the Lhokseumawe KIP (Independent Election Commission) as the Respondent refuted the argument of Lhokseumawe mayor-vice mayor candidates 03 Ismail and Azhar Mahmud, who alleged that the polling station working committee (KPPS) members had permitted voters to cast multiple votes. The Respondent stated that the Petitioners had failed to specify the timing of the alleged violations clearly and in detail, rendering the claims legally unsubstantiated.

“In the implementation of the vote counting recapitulation at the Lhokseumawe City level, all candidate pair witnesses did not file objections, and the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih also raised no objections to the recapitulation results. Furthermore, all candidate pair witnesses and the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih signed the minutes and certificates of the vote count recapitulation from each district,” stated the Respondent’s legal cousel Ridwan Hadi.

According to the Respondent, the vote-counting process was conducted transparently and was accepted by all participants at the plenary meeting except for the Petitioners’ witnesses. Regarding the 17 polling stations in Muara Dua District, where the Petitioners alleged violations had occurred, the Respondent emphasized that the Petitioners’ witnesses had signed the minutes and certificates of the counting results without raising any objections at those polling stations.

In addition, Candidate Pair 02 Sayuti Abubakar and Husaini (Relevant Party) requested the Court to reject the Petitioners’ request for a revote in the Lhokseumawe regent election. The Relevant Party argued that a revote could only be conducted if there was a recommendation from Panwas (supervisory committee) based on research and oversight conducted by the Panwas at the district level. However, no such recommendation was issued by either the district-level Panwas or the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih for a revote.

“Of all the reports submitted by the Petitioners to the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih, none met the formal and material requirements, as stated in the notification regarding the status of the reports issued by the Lhokseumawe Panwaslih,” said the Relevant Party’s legal counsel Mahadir before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2 in one of the courtrooms.

Also read: Multiple Voting in Lhokseumawe City Election Challenged

The Petitioners argued that violations had occurred, claiming that some voters had cast their votes multiple times in the voting booths with the consent of the KPPS members. This included instances where voters reportedly voted at three different polling stations located near one another.

In their petitums, the Petitioners requested the Court to annul the Lhokseumawe KIP Decree No. 700 of 2024 on the 2024 Lhokseumawe mayoral election vote count recapitulation dated December 2, 2024, specifically regarding the vote counts at the following polling stations: Meunasah Blang Village (TPS 001, TPS 002, TPS 003, and TPS 004), Menasah Mee Village (TPS 001, TPS 002, TPS 003, and TPS 004), Blang Crum Village (TPS 001, TPS 002, TPS 003, and TPS 004), Cut Mamplam Village (TPS 001, TPS 002, and TPS 003), and Menasah Manyang Village (TPS 001 and TPS 002), all located in Muara Dua District, Lhokseumawe City. The Petitioners further requested the Court to order the Lhokseumawe KIP to conduct a revote at these 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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