The Petitioners’ legal counsel attending the ruling hearing for Case No. 20/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the 2024 Pesawaran regent election results dispute, Monday (02/24/2025) in the plenary courtroom. Photo by MKRI/Panji.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) – The Constitutional Court (MK) disqualified regent candidate 1 Aries Sandi Darma Putra from the 2024 Pesawaran regent election. Aries was disqualified for failing to meet the mandatory requirement of a high school diploma or its equivalent. The ruling, outlined in Decision No. 20/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025, was delivered by Chief Justice Suhartoyo on Monday, February 24, 2025 in the plenary courtroom.

“[The Court] disqualifies regent candidate 1 H. Aries Sandi Darma Putra from participating in the 2024 Pesawaran Regency election,” asserted Chief Justice Suhartoyo.

The Court also ordered that the Pesawaran KPU (Elections Commission) carry out a revote by using the final voter list (DPT), additional final voter list (DPTb), and special final voter list (DPK) that were used for voting on November 27, 2024, and only participated by Candidate Pair Hj. Nanda Indira B, S.E., M.M. and Antonius Muhammad Ali, S.H., and new candidate pairs promoted by the political party or coalition of political parties previously promoting Candidate Pair 1 without involving Aries Sandi Darma Putra.

Aries Has No Diploma

In its legal considerations, delivered by Constitutional Justice Ridwan Mansyur, the Court explained that Aries Sandi Darma Putra never completed his third year of high school, whether at SMA (Senior High School) Arjuna or any other equivalent institution. This conclusion was based on evidence showing that he only completed his first and second years of education, as indicated by his Semester 1 to 4 grades recorded in the student registry.

“The Court believes the Relevant Party’s statement that Aries Sandi Darma Putra continued his third year of senior high school in Jakarta to be unproven because the evidence submitted in the form of senior high school student registry, only contained the grades for first grade and second grade of a student named Aris Sandi from SMA Arjuna, with no record of grades from his studies in third grade,” said Justice Ridwan.

Additionally, the Court identified irregularities in the evidence presented by the Relevant Party, specifically in the copy of the student registry, including: (1) The cover of the student master book lacked the name and the school address, making it difficult for the Court to know which senior high school it was; (2) The cover stated “Department of Education and Culture, Directorate-General of Elementary and Secondary Education, Directorate of Education Facilities, Jakarta Education Facilities Standardization Project 1989,” yet the student data section for “Aris Sandi” listed SMA Arjuna. However, according to the Relevant Party’s testimony, SMA Arjuna is in Bandar Lampung City, Lampung Province, not in Jakarta; and (3) The student registry contained a note indicating that Aris Sandi was a transfer student from SMA Tanjung Karang. Under the presented evidence and findings, the Court declared that Aries Sandi Darma Putra never completed his third year of high school at SMA Arjuna or any other equivalent institution.

Aries Fails to Convince the Court

The Relevant Party, Aries Sandi Darma Putra, claimed that he had taken and passed the 1995 equivalency exam at SMAN 1 Bandar Lampung. Delivered by Justice Ridwan, the Court acknowledged the equivalency exam, as confirmed by both the Relevant Party and the head of the Lampung Province Education and Culture Office Thomas Amirico. Yet, the Court doubted that Aries had taken the test, or even passed it.

The Court found that the SKPI (diploma accompanying certificate) of SMA Equivalency for Aries Sandi Darma Putra had been issued by the Lampung Province Education and Culture Office, based on the statement of loss of goods/letters and the absolute accountability letter (SPTJM), as stipulated in regulations applied when the SKPI was issued, specifically the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 29 of 2014.

Further, the Court explained that the fulfillment of the requirements outlined in Article 8 paragraph (1) of the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 29 of 2014 for issuing the SKPI for Aries Sandi Darma Putra does not necessarily prove that he had participated in the high school equivalency education. It is also not sufficient to confirm that he has obtained the GED, which, in this case, was claimed to have been lost.

“The Court stated that the lack of supporting evidence regarding Aries Sandi Darma Putra’s participation in senior high school or equivalent education, as well as the absence of proof related to the ownership of the educational certificate, has cast doubt that the individual has completed senior high school or its equivalent,” said Justice Ridwan.

Unusual Reason

Additionally, the Court found that Aries Sandi Darma Putra had lost the SKPI issued in 2010, leading him to obtain the SKPI twice. The two SKPI certificates dated July 19, 2018 were used to participate in the 2010 and 2024 regional elections.

Justice Ridwan further stated that the Court found Aries’ SKPI dated July 19, 2018 legally flawed. The Court explained that the document could not serve as a valid substitute for a senior high school diploma or its equivalent to meet the requirements for candidacy.

“Therefore, the Petitioners’ petition regarding Aries Sandi Darma Putra’s unfulfilled requirement of a senior high school diploma or equivalent is legally reasonable,” Justice Ridwan stressed.

Following the above legal considerations on the SKPI, the Court declared that Aries Sandi Darma Putra failed to meet the eligibility requirements for candidacy as regent in the 2024 Pesawaran regent election, as outlined in Article 7 paragraph (2) letter c, in conjunction with Article 45 paragraph (2) letter d No. 1 of Law 10/2016. “Therefore, [the Court] declared [Aries Sandi Darma Putra] participation in the 2024 Pesawaran regent election null and void,” stated Justice Ridwan.

Also read:

Pesawaran Candidates Allegedly Lack High School Diplomas

Bawaslu, KPU: Aries Sandi Darma Qualified for Pesawaran Regency Election

Experts, Witnesses Testify on Pesawaran Regent Candidate’s Diploma

Validity of Aries Sandi Darma Putra’s High School Certificate in Question

At the preliminary hearing on January 9, 2025, Pesawaran Regent Candidate Pair 2 Nanda Indira B. and Antonius Muhammad Ali argued that the candidacy of Candidate Pair 1 Aries Sandi Darma Putra and Supriyanto was unconstitutional. They alleged that the Pesawaran KPU had facilitated the pair’s candidacy despite them not having a senior high school diploma.

In addition to the argument regarding the absence of a diploma, regent candidate Nanda Indira was alleged to have outstanding obligations to the Pesawaran Regency Government, according to the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK RI). While serving as the Pesawaran regent in 2015, Nanda Indira had a debt of Rp457 million, of which only Rp70 million had been paid, meaning that she still owes Rp386 million to the state. Therefore, the Petitioners requested the Court to annul KPU Decree No. 1635 of 2024 and disqualify Aries-Supriyanto.

Author              : Ahmad Sulthon Zainawi/L.A.P.
Editor               : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                    : Fauzan Febriyan
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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