The Respondent’s (KPU) legal counsel Unoto Yulianto when testifying at the hearing on dispute over the 2024 North Sumatra governor election for Case No. 247/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025, Wednesday (1/22/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – The North Sumatra Provincial Elections Commission (KPU) is aware of several polling stations affected by flooding. The regency/city KPU had asked for a postponement of the voting. The proposal of postponement was then followed up by a coordination meeting with the candidate pair campaign teams, Bawaslu, and the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkompimda). Later the Respondent (KPU) issued Decree No. 460 of 2024 concerning the certification of postponement of voting and vote counting in the 2024 North Sumatra governor election dated November 28, 2024.

The above statement was made by the North Sumatra KPU’s (Respondent) legal counsel Unoto Dwi Yulianto at the examination hearing on the dispute over the 2024 North Sumatra governor election results on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The agenda for the second hearing was to hear the Respondent’s response and testimonies by the Relevant Party and Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body). It was presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on panel 1.

The Respondent answered the claim made by Candidate Pair Number 02 Edy Rahmayadi and Hasan Basri Sagala (Petitioners). They outlined their decree regarding the follow-up voting (PSL) and the delayed voting (PSS).

“The Respondent has conducted follow-up voting and vote counting at 8 polling stations spread across 2 regency/cities in 4 districts and 5 villages, and determined delayed voting to be held at 108 polling stations spread across 5 regency/cities in 12 districts and 20 villages. So, all polling stations affected by flooding conducted delayed or follow-up voting and vote counting,” said Unoto.

Coming to Voters

The Respondent then responded to the allegation of structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations following facts. For example, at TPS (polling stations) 002 and 007 of Sei Rengas I Village, Medan Kota District, it was argued that several voters had voted more than once. The Respondent stated that this is not true, because there had been no problems in the implementation of voting at these polling stations.

The Respondent followed up the recommendation of the Medan City Bawaslu on the Petitioners’ claim of empty attendance lists at TPS 03 of Darat Medan Baru Village by calling the polling station working committee (KPPS) and then agreed to ask for voters’ signatures by visiting voters at their residences. “So, KPPS of TPS 03 forgot to give the attendance list to voters and Bawaslu’s recommendation for this has been followed up by visiting the voters at their residences, under supervision of the candidate pairs’ witnesses,” explained North Sumatra KPU member Raja Ahab Damanik.

Transfers of Interim Governors

Through legal counsel Qhaiszhar Pandjaitan, Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution-Surya (Bobby-Surya) as the Relevant Party responded to the Petitioners’ claim on the transfer of the North Sumatra interim governor. The transfer was done by the Ministry of Home Affairs because West Nusa Tenggara interim governor Lalu Gita Ariadi was about to run for West Nusa Tenggara governor. So, Hasanuddin was appointed for his experience to become West Nusa Tenggara interim governor, as he was previously the interim governor of North Sumatra. Then, North Sumatra interim governor Hasanuddin was replaced by Agus Fatoni, who previously served as the South Sumatra interim governor.

“The transfers of Agus Fatoni and Hasanuddin by the Minister of Home Affairs was a natural occurrence and in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia No. 4 of 2023 concerning Governor Officials, Regent Officials, and Mayor Officials in Article 3 letter a, so the appointment of Agus Fatoni as the interim governor of North Sumatra is in accordance with the rules,” stated Qhaiszhar.

Also read: North Sumatra Governor Election Criticized for Organizers, Civil Servants’ Partiality

At the preliminary hearing on Monday, January 13, 2025, the Petitioners filed for the cancellation of the North Sumatra KPU Decree No. 495 of 2024 concerning the certification of the 2024 North Sumatra governor elections result. The Petitioners mentioned the vote acquisition of Candidate Number 01 M. Bobby Afif Nasution-Surya received 3,645,611 votes, while the Petitioners received 2,009,611 votes with a total valid vote count of 5,654,922. Meanwhile, according to the Petitioners, the correct vote count is that Candidate Number 01 received 3,645,611 votes, while the Petitioners received 4,896,157 votes, with a total of 8,541,768 valid votes.

The Petitioners also argued about the low voter turnout due to flooding affecting several areas in North Sumatra, as follows: Medan City, Binjai City, Deli Serdang Regency, Langkat Regency, and Asahan Regency. This led to the limited accessibility of voters which resulted in the reluctance of voters to go to the polls due to impassable access, so voters preferred to stay home. For the alleged structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations, the Petitioners requested the Court to order the North Sumatera Provincial KPU to conduct a revote at all polling stations throughout the regions in North Sumatra Province, at least in three regencies/cities and three districts affected by the natural disaster of flooding, which resulted in low voter turnout.

 

Also read:

Petition for Case No. 247/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025

Response by the Respondent

Statement by Bawaslu

Statement by the Relevant Party

 

 

Author               : Sri Pujianti.
Editor                : N. Rosi.
Translator         : Dinita Aktivia/ (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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