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Constitutional Court rejects four election lawsuits
The Constitutional Court (MK) has rejected lawsuits filed by plaintiffs in election disputes in Medan, Binjai, Sibolga cities and Serdang Bedagai regency, says an official from the North Sumatra General Elections Commission (KPUD)
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he Constitutional Court (MK) has rejected lawsuits filed by plaintiffs in election disputes in Medan, Binjai, Sibolga cities and Serdang Bedagai regency, says an official from the North Sumatra General Elections Commission (KPUD).
North Sumatra KPUD chief Irham Buana Nasution, said the MK decision on Friday was completely different to that two days ago when it accepted the lawsuit on the election dispute in Tebing Tinggi city.
He said the MK had decided the Tebing Tinggi mayoral election should be repeated without involving the candidate pair of M. Syafri Chap and Hafas Fadhilah, who gained the majority of votes in the election.
Syafri and Hafas, nominated by Golkar, are not allowed to take part in the repeat election after Syafri failed to meet a legal condition based on the electoral law. Syafri, former Tebing Tinggi municipal council speaker, has been accused and proven guilty of committing graft.
Irham said the Tebing Tinggi repeat election would likely be taken over by the provincial KPUD because the Tebing Tinggi KPUD had committed a mistake and been deemed solely responsible for rejecting the election results by the MK.
In response to the MK’s decision on Friday, Irham said the Sibolga and Serdang Bedagai KPUD offices could proceed with the process of deciding the elected candidate to the legislature, while the Medan and Binjai KPUD offices could proceed with the second round election.
The second election in Medan is scheduled to be held on June 19 and in Binjai in July.
In response to the security situation in a number of regions following the elections, Irham said the situation in the regions holding elections had been relatively peaceful, except for Samosir.
Samosir KPUD head Megianto Sinaga, said unidentified people had set fire to the District Ballot Committee (PPK) at around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, destroying nine ballot boxes.
North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Oegroseno said police were able to maintain security in Samosir after extra personnel were deployed to secure the situation.
When asked about the arson attack at the PPK office, Oegroseno said a group of unidentified people had destroyed the ballot boxes.
