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Muhammad Syarifuddin elected new Supreme Court chief justice
Syarifuddin, formerly the judicial division deputy head at the country's highest court, won the majority vote during an election held in a plenary meeting attended by 48 justices on Monday.
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Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court/-)
M
uhammad Syarifuddin has been elected as the new Supreme Court chief justice, replacing Muhammad Hatta Ali who previously served two terms and is due for retirement in May.
Syarifuddin, formerly the judicial division deputy head at the country's highest court, won the majority vote during an election held in a plenary meeting attended by 48 justices on Monday.
The meeting was live-streamed on the Supreme Court's official YouTube channel, allowing other officials and members of the public to witness the proceedings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to Syarifuddin, other candidates for the top judiciary post included Supreme Court spokesperson Andi Samsan Nganro and the court's nonjudicial division deputy head Sunarto.
Sunarto lost the first round of the election, leaving only Syarifuddin and Andi vying for the top post in the second round. Syarifuddin ultimately garnered 32 votes, surpassing Andi’s 14 votes.
Former chief justice Hatta refrained from casting a vote as he said he was already due for retirement next month.
Born in Baturaja, South Sumatra, on Oct. 17, 1954, Syarifuddin has been a career judge since being appointed to Banda Aceh District Court in 1981.
Since then, he has served as the deputy head of Muara Bulian District Court in Jambi, the head of Padang Pariaman District Court in West Sumatra, the deputy head of Bandung District Court in West Java and a judge at the Palembang High Court in South Sumatra.
He became a Supreme Court justice in February 2013 and was elected as the court's judicial deputy head in May 2016.
Following the election on Monday, Syarifuddin thanked his colleagues for the trust given to him to lead the Supreme Court for the 2020-2025 period.
“I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues who have been moved to pass the leadership baton on to me. I hope that, from this day on, we will be united and work hard together so that the Supreme Court and other institutions under it may improve,” he said during his speech.
Hatta congratulated Syarifuddin, as well as expressing his hope that the policies implemented during his term would continue in effect under the newly elected chief justice.
“I thank every element of the Supreme Court and every legal institution under it for their support during my tenure as chief justice for eight years and two months. I hope every policy we have implemented will continue to take effect under the newly elected chief justice,” Hatta said.
