The Respondent and her legal counsel Dalili testifying at examination hearing for Case No. 246/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on the Ambon mayoral election before Deputy Chief Justice Suhartoyo and Constitutional Justices Ridwan Mansyur and Arsul Sani on panel 2, Thursday (1/23/2025). Photo by MKRI/Teguh.
JAKARTA (MKRI) – The Ambon KPU (Elections Commission) as the Respondent rejected the argument made by the Ambon mayor-vice mayor candidates 03 Mohamad Tadi Salampessy and Emmylh Dominggus Luhukay (Petitioners), who alleged the Respondent’s partiality at all levels. The rebuttal was presented at the examination hearing for Case No. 246/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on Thursday, January 23, 2025, which was intended to hear testimonies from the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body), as well as to validate evidence.
Legal counsel Dalili stated that the Respondent had conducted the Ambon mayor election in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations. This was supported by the fact that the Respondent had not received any recommendation from the Ambon Bawaslu on the alleged violation claimed by the Petitioners.
“The Respondent, in carrying out their duties, has followed the established procedures and adhered to the mandates of KPU Regulations No. 17 of 2024 and No.18 of 2024 and KPU Decision No. 1779,” stated Dalili before Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra on panel 1.
Therefore, the Respondent requested that the Court reject the Petitioners’ petition in its entirety and affirm the validity of the Respondent’s decree on the certification of the 2024 Ambon mayor election results.
Voters’ Free Choice
Candidate Pair 02 Bodewin Melkias Wattimena and Ely Toisutta (Relevant Party), represented by their legal counsel Malik Raudhi Tuasamu, denied the Petitioners’ claim regarding the Respondent’s partiality. Malik stated that the claim was false, emphasizing that the votes received by the Relevant Party were solely the result of the people of Ambon City’s free choice and were not obtained through any means that violated applicable regulations.
Therefore, the Respondent requested that the Court reject the Petitioners’ petition in its entirety and affirm the validity of the Respondent’s decree on the certification of the 2024 Ambon mayor election results.
Meanwhile, the Ambon City Bawaslu, represented by Alberth Johan Talabessy, informed the Court that Bawaslu had not received any reports, findings of election violations, or election dispute petitions related to the case.
Also read: Election Organizers’ Partiality Ignite Ambon Mayoral Election Dispute
At the preliminary examination hearing, Candidate Pair 03 Mohamad Tadi Salampessy and Emmylh Dominggus Luhukay (Petitioners) alleged the partiality of election organizers. They argued that it had significantly contributed to the substantial vote difference between them and Candidate Pair 02 Bodewin Melkias Wattimena and Ely Toisutta (Relevant Party). They specifically alleged attempts to inflate votes for another candidate pair at TPS 42 in Batumerah Village, Sirimau District. According to the Petitioners, all KPPS (polling station working committee) members at this polling station were suspected of criminal misconduct by attempting to cast multiple ballots for a particular candidate pair.
Based on these allegations, the Petitioners requested that the Court order the Ambon KPU to conduct a revote at all polling stations in Ambon City. They further requested the annulment of Ambon City Decree No. 431 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 mayor election results issued on December 6, 2024, at 17:34 WIT.
Author : Ahmad Sulthon Zainawi
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR : Fauzan Febriyan (RA)
Translator : Nazila Rikhusshuba/Yuniar Widiastuti (NL) 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.
Thursday, January 23, 2025 | 17:27 WIB 132