The KPU’s (Respondent) legal counsel Zulfadli Ilham at the examination hearing for the 2024 North Konawe regent election case No. 49/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025, Friday (1/24/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.
JAKARTA (MKRI) — The North Konawe Elections Commission (KPU) responded to the claim of partiality of the state civil apparatus (ASN) in Case No. 49/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 disputing the 2024 North Konawe regent election results. As the Respondent, the North Konawe KPU delivered its response at the hearing on Friday, January 24, 2025, presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on panel 1.
The Petitioners in the case are Candidate Pair Number 2 Sudiro and Raup, while the Relevant Party is Candidate Pair Number 1 Ikbar and Abu Haera.
The Respondent admitted they had never received any recommendation from the North Konawe Regency Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) regarding the allegation of ASN partiality. “To the best of the Respondent’s knowledge, the Petitioners did not report the alleged violation to the North Konawe Regency Bawaslu,” stated the Respondent’s legal counsel, Zulfadi Ilham.
The Respondent also said it was not under the Respondent’s authority. Follow-up can only be done if the Respondent had obtained a recommendation from the North Konawe Bawaslu. However, during the implementation of the 2024 North Konawe regent election, they received no such recommendation.
“The Respondent has never been summoned for clarification or given any recommendation by the North Konawe Regency Bawaslu, so the Respondent does not know the exact incident,” Zulfadi said.
The issue of the active regent’s partiality was also denied by the Relevant Party. They asserted that the Petitioners’ statement in the petition was baseless.
According to the Respondent, there was no evidence to suggest that certain ASNs, including the active regent, were favoring the Relevant Party. “If there were indications that certain ASNs took action (support) any candidate pair directly, this is the ASN’s personal initiative and not the result of influence or direction from other parties, let alone the Relevant Party, including the regent and vice regent of North Konawe,” said the Respondent’s legal counsel Muhamad Ikbal.
The North Konawe Bawaslu confirmed that it had never provided any recommendations for the implementation of the 2024 North Konawe regent election. However, from the results of supervision, the North Konawe Bawaslu forwarded 22 findings related to ASN neutrality. Two of them were processed by Gakkumdu (Integrated Law Enforcement) and ended up in court and were proven to have constituted election criminal offenses.
“The sanction is one month of probation,” said Bawaslu member Ashar.
There was also a recommendation related to the partiality of 15 village heads, which have been forwarded to the North Konawe regent. The recommendation comprised of 42 findings and reports, the rest of which were not registered because they did not fulfill the formal and material requirements.
Also read: North Konawe KPU Under Scrutiny for Suggestive Voting Banner
At the preliminary hearing, the Petitioners argued that the Respondent had shown partiality as an election organizer, in the form of a campaign billboard that read “Vote for Number 1.” The Petitioner also brought up the issue of the ASN’s partiality and the practice of money politics in almost all election areas. The ASN partiality argued by the Petitioners includes an active Regent who has a kinship with the Relevant Party.
The Petitioners requested the Court to cancel the North Konawe KPU decree regarding the certification of the 2024 North Konawe regent election results. The Petitioner also requested that the Court order a revote at all polling stations in North Konawe Regency.
Read more:
The Petition for Case No. 49/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025
Response by the Respondent
Statement by Bawaslu
Statement by the Relevant Party
Author : Ashri Fadilla
Editor : N. Rosi
Translator : Dinita Aktivia/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.
Friday, January 24, 2025 | 14:58 WIB 144