The Petitioners' legal counsel attending the ruling hearing for case No. 192/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 PHPU on the West Bandung regent election results dispute, Wednesday (2/5/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Constitutional Justice Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh delivered the Court's legal considerations in the 2024 West Bandung regent election results dispute case. The involvement of state apparatus in the campaign of Candidate Pair 2 Jeje Ritchie and Asep Ismail—including the Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto and the special envoy for the Development of the Youth and Art Workers Raffi Ahmad—was not supported by convincing legal facts. Thus, the Court concludes that the Petitioners' arguments are not legally justified. 

"Based on the legal considerations, the Court is not convinced about the validity of the arguments of the Petitioners' petition, Therefore, on the petition, there is no reason to postpone enforcement of Article 158 of Law No. 10 of 2016 concerning the Petitioners’ legal standing," said Justice Daniel.

The Petitioners and the Relevant Party obtained 224,066 and 341,225 votes, thus making the vote margin difference 117,159 votes (12.84%) or exceeding the 4,562-vote threshold. While the Petitioners are a candidate pair in the 2024 West Bandung regent election, the Petitioners did not fulfill the requirements provisioned in Article 158 paragraph (2) letter d of Law No. 10 of 2016. Thus, the Court deems the Petitioners lack the legal standing. In other words, the exceptions of the Respondent and the Relevant Party are legally justified.

“[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 inadmissible,” said Chief Justice Suhartoyo while reading out the verdict for this Case No. 192/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025.

At the preliminary hearing on January 8, 2025, the Petitioners had requested the Court to annul the West Bandung KPU Decree No. 272 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 West Bandung regent election results issued on Thursday, December 5, 2024. The Petitioners argued the involvement of state apparatus in the campaign of Candidate Pair 2 Jeje Ritchie and Asep Ismail, including the Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto and the special envoy for the Development of the Youth and Art Workers Raffi Ahmad. They were alleged to have misused their positions to endorse the candidate pair during their visit to Cikahuripan Village, Lembang District.

Furthermore, the Petitioners also argued there had been structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations in the form of money politics. These involved the village heads, Village Community Empowerment Institution (LPMD), neighborhood units (RT), community units (RW), family welfare movements (PKK), community clinic (posyandu), and the campaign team, ultimately leading to a landslide win for Jeje-Asep. These violations allegedly took place in eleven districts in West Bandung Regency, including Cikalongwetan, Parongpong, Cipongkor, Rongga, Padalarang, Gunung Halu, Ngamprah, and Cipeundeuy.

Author  : Sri Pujianti

Editor   : Tiara Agustina

Translator     : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/FS (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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