The Relevant Party’s legal counsel Muhammad Tabrani while giving a statement in the examination hearing of Case Number 216/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the Central Halmahera Regent Election Results Dispute on Panel 2 at the Constitutional Court. Wednesday (1/22/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – The 2024 Central Halmahera Regency election features Candidate Pair 02 Edi Langkara-Abd Rahim Odeyani (incumbent regent and vice-regent 2017-2022), and Candidate Pair 03 Ikram Malan Sangadji (acting regent 2022-2024) and Ahlan Djumadil. The Relevant Party, Akram-Ahlan denied all petitions filed by Edi-Rahim concerning the election violations in the form of authority abuse as Central Halmahera Acting Regent in the examination hearing on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

The Relevant Party’s legal counsel Muhammad Tabrani stated that the Petitioners for Case No. 216/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 only described events that occurred before the certification of the candidate pair. Therefore, they believed that the Petitioners’ petition is unclear, as the alleged violations failed to be classified as Structured, Systematic, and Massive (TSM) violations that aim to influence the organizers or voters.

“Unclear petition!” asserted Tabrani in the examination hearing to hear the Respondent’s response, the testimony of the Relevant Party and Bawaslu, and approving evidence of the parties before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra (panel chair) and Constitutional Justice Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2.

Ikram was a former assistant deputy of captured fishing management in the Deputy of Coordination for Maritime Resources in the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs, then led by Luhut Binsar Panjaitan. Ikram then was appointed as acting regent of Central Halmahera Regency. As the acting regent, Ikram was said to have altered the local budget of Central Halmahera unilaterally without consultation or approval from the Regency DPRD (Legislative Council). He even conspired with the regency’s secretary Bahri Sudirman to misappropriate the regency government’s official events and budget to run a covert campaign for candidate pair 03. 

However, Ikram denied the allegation, stating that the submission of the APBD (Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget) evaluation to the Governor of North Maluku was done without altering anything that was approved by Regent Edi. Instead, The Relevant Party accused Edi, whose term had ended, of making unilateral changes without the approval of the DPRD. Ikram also denied removing 17 programs that had been approved at the end of Edi's term, arguing those were still in place.

Meanwhile, the Respondent, the Central Halmahera Regency KPU (Elections Commission) stated that the violations alleged by the Petitioners were part of a series of events that took place between 2022 and 2024, before the certification of the Central Halmahera candidate pair. Therefore, the Respondent argued that this petition falls outside the Court's authority to examine and decide on the alleged violations, and should instead be within the authority of Bawaslu.

"According to the provisions of the laws and regulations, in essence, the Constitutional Court does not have the authority to examine and decide on the a quo petition," stated the Respondent's legal counsel.

In their respective petitums, the Respondent and the Relevant Party requested the Court to reject the Petitioners’ petition in its entirety; to affirm the validity of the Central Halmahera Regency KPU Decree No. 417 of 2024 concerning the certification of the 2024 Central Halmahera Regency election results, dated December 6, 2024; and to declare that the correct vote count was Candidate Pair 01 Muttiara-Salim Kamaluddin with 7,521 votes, Candidate Pair 02 Edi Langkara-Abdul Rahim Odeyani with 12,148 votes, and Candidate Pair 03 Ikram-Ahlan with 27,514 votes.

On the other hand, the Central Halmahera Regency Bawaslu recorded 37 reports, three findings, and one delegation from the Bawaslu of the Republic of Indonesia during the supervision of the 2024 Central Halmahera election stages. Out of these reports, 23 were related to the arguments presented in the Petitioners and 12 reports were registered.

“Meanwhile, one thing that was proven was related to the finding of alleged violations of ASN neutrality," said Jeplin George Maitimu, a member of Central Halmahera Bawaslu.

He explained that the report was forwarded by issuing a recommendation to the Civil Service Agency (BKN). Currently, the follow-up to the recommendation is still awaiting BKN verification. Jeplin mentioned that 73 ASNs were suspected of violating ASN neutrality.

Author: Mimi Kartika
Editor : Tiara Agustina
PR: Fauzan Febriyan

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 Indonesian version will prevail.

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