The Petitioners attending the ruling hearing for case No. 03/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the 2024 Empat Lawang regent election results dispute, Tuesday (2/4/2025) in the plenary courtroom. Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the Constitutional Court (MK) held a ruling hearing for the 2024 Empat Lawang regent election results dispute. The Court’s legal consideration for Case No. 03/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 was presented by Constitutional Justice Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh, in which the Court holds that election observers Ruli Margianto and Anggi Aribowo (Petitioners) were neither registered nor accredited by the Empat Lawang Regency KPU (Elections Commission). Hence, they did not qualify as election observers in the 2024 Empat Lawang regent election.

Furthermore, Justice Foekh explained, the Respondent and the Relevant Party had filed exceptions regarding the Petitioners’ legal standing, arguing that they failed to meet the requirements as an election observer in the 2024 Empat Lawang regent election. Hence, the Court assessed the qualifications for election observers based on Article 3 paragraph (1) letter a, Article 4 paragraph (1) letter d, paragraph (2), and paragraph (3) letter b of the Constitutional Court Regulation No. 3 of 2024. Since the Petitioners did not qualify as election observers in the 2024 Empat Lawang regent election, the Court found that the exceptions raised by the Respondent and the Relevant Party legally justified.

“The Court believes that the Petitioners did not qualify as petitioners in a election results dispute case as stipulated in Article 4 paragraph (2) and paragraph (3) letter b of PMK No. 3 of 2024, and therefore, other exceptions from the Respondent and Relevant Party, the Respondent’s response, the Relevant Party’s testimony, Bawaslu’s (Elections Supervisory Body) testimony, and the remainder of the petition’s  subject matter will not be considered further,” said Justice Foekh at the hearing presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo, alongside Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra and seven other constitutional justices.

Incumbent Candidate Already Served Two Terms

Meanwhile, regarding the Petitioners’ argument that Budi Antoni Al Jufri has served two terms, Constitutional Justice Foekh stated that the Court considered it a special incident. Therefore, its validity will be further examined and assessed at the evidentiary hearing for case No. 24/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025.

“[The Court] adjudicated, on the exception: to grant the Respondent’s and the Relevant Party’s exceptions regarding the Petitioners’ legal standing, to reject the Respondent’s and the Relevant Party’s exceptions for the remainder; on the petition’s subject matter: to declare the Petitioners’ petition dismissed,” said Chief Justice Suhartoyo while reading out the verdict for this case.

Also read:

Questions Raised on Empat Lawang Regent's Term of Office and Observer Accreditation

Empat Lawang Regency KPU Explains Budi Antoni’s Term Length

At the preliminary hearing on Thursday, January 9, 2025, the Petitioners requested the Court to declare the annulment of the Empat Lawang Regency KPU Decree No. 1325 of 2024 concerning the certification of the 2024 Empat Lawang Regency election results, dated December 2, 2024.

The Petitioners argued that the violations committed by the Empat Lawang Regency KPU (Elections Commission) had begun with the issuance of the Empat Lawang Regency KPU Decree No. 837 of 2024 on the announcement of candidate pairs for the regent-vice regent of Empat Lawang Regency, dated September 22, 2024. The Respondent intentionally violated Article 7 paragraph (1) of Law 10 of 2016 by hindering Budi Antoni Al Jufri and Henny Verawati’s opportunity as Indonesian citizens to participate in the election, citing a failure to fulfill the requirements. The reason was that Budi Antoni Al Jufri had already served as regent for two terms. However, the Respondent did not check the Petitioners’ document of appointment and termination. Therefore, the Petitioners argued that the KPU Decree No. 837 of 2024 can be declared null and void and has no binding legal force.

The Respondent also ignored the rights of citizens to apply as election observers in the implementation of the 2024 Empat Lawang Regency election. Without any valid legal reason, they did not issue an accreditation certificate from the monitoring institution, the Indonesian Center for Legal Advocacy and Human Rights, because the Petitioners were not independent as an election monitoring institution.

Therefore, the Petitioners requested the Court to declare the annulment of the Empat Lawang Regency KPU Decree No. 1325 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Empat Lawang Regency election results dated December 2, 2024; the Empat Lawang Regency KPU Decree No. 837 of 2024 concerning the announcement of the candidate pairs in the 2024 Empat Lawang Regency election dated September 22, 2024.

Also read:

Petition for Case No. 03/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025

Respondent’s Response

Bawaslu’s Statement

Relevant Party’s Statement

Author: Sri Pujianti
Editor: N. Rosi
Translator: Syifa Amelia/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.

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