The ruling hearing for case No. 277/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on the 2024 Malang mayoral election results dispute, Wednesday (2/5/2025). Photo by MKRI.
JAKARTA (MKRI) — On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, the Constitutional Court (MK) dismissed the petition for Case No. 277/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 during the ruling hearing on the 2024 Malang mayoral election results dispute. The ruling for the petition, filed by Budhy Pakarti, an individual Indonesian citizen, was delivered by Chief Justice Suhartoyo alongside the other eight constitutional justices in the plenary courtroom.
Chief Justice Suhartoyo asserted that the Petitioner’s petition was filed late according to Law No. 10 of 2016 (Regional Election Law) and the Constitutional Court Regulation No. 3 of 2024. Therefore, the exception on passing the deadline for filing a petition was legally reasonable. As a result, the Court would not further consider other exceptions, legal standing, the Petitioners’ subject matter, deeming them irrelevant.
“[The Court] adjudicated, rejects the exception on the authority, to grant the Respondent’s and the Relevant Party’s exceptions regarding the petition submission period; on the petition’s subject matter: declares the Petitioners’ petition inadmissible,” said Chief Justice Suhartoyo while reading out the verdict for this case.
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At the preliminary hearing on January 8, 2025, the Petitioner requested for an annulment of the Malang City KPU (Elections Commission) Decree No. 629 of 2024 dated December 3, 2024, on the certification of Malang City election results. He stated that their petition was based on Article 454 paragraph (3) of Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections. In August 2024, the Petitioner, a democracy observer in Malang City, received the Circular Letter No. 96 of 2024 on the interpretation of legal issues in the 2024 nomination of governors-vice governors, regents-vice regents, and mayors-vice mayors as guidelines for implementing election supervisory duties. This letter stipulates that any reshuffle of officials in the Malang City Government by the acting mayor six months before the incumbent’s announcement as a candidate are not allowed.
The Petitioner requested the Court to invalidate the reshuffle of 96 officials and supervisors in the Malang City Government on May 3-4, 2024 and 35 officials and supervisors on August 9, 2024 by Wahyu Hidayat, candidate 01 for mayor-vice mayor in the 2024 Malang City election, as a violation of Law No. 10 of 2016 and the Bawaslu Circular Letter No. 96 of 2024. As such, the candidate pair must be disqualified.
Author : Sri Pujianti
Editor : N. Rosi
Translator : Ryan Alfian/Yuniar Widiastuti (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.
Wednesday, February 05, 2025 | 15:05 WIB 13