Presidential Election Results Legitimate
The General Elections Commission (KPU) will finally name Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Ma’ruf Amin as the legitimate president and vice president for the next five-year period. Both Jokowi and his challenger Prabowo Subianto accepted the Constitutional Court\'s decision regarding the dispute over the presidential election results.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The KPU will appoint Jokowi and Ma\'ruf as the elected president and vice president for 2019-2024 on Sunday after the Constitutional Court rejected on Thursday the poll lawsuit lodged by the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair over the results of the 2019 presidential elections.
On May 21, the KPU recorded 154,257,601 valid votes in the 2019 presidential election. Of that number, the Jokowi-Ma\'ruf pair won 55.5 percent, while Prabowo-Sandi won 44.5 percent.
In the 1,944-page verdict, the court also stated that the petitioner\'s argument that there had been structured, systematic and massive fraud in the election was legally groundless as it was not supported by valid evidence, and not relevant to the case being examined, and cannot be explained legally.
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Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto waves to reporters while vice-presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno looks on after holding a press conference at Prabowo\'s residence on Jl. Kertanegara, Jakarta, Thursday (27/6/2019). At the press conference the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair accepted the Constitutional Court\'s decision on the election dispute.
United
Jokowi said the court’s decision marked the success of the Indonesian nation in holding fair elections. The preparation and process of the presidential and legislative elections that lasted for about 10 months were expected to become a learning ground for the maturity of the people.
"The people have expressed their voices, the people have conveyed their wish, the people\'s voice has been heard, the people have decided and have been confirmed through a constitutional path of civilized and cultured nation," Jokowi said on Thursday (6/27).
After the court\'s ruling, Jokowi invited all Indonesian people to reunite and jointly develop Indonesia. "There is no more 01 and 02, there is only Indonesian unity," he said in a reference to the voting numbers of the two presidential candidates.
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A banner encouraging Jakartans to promote peace and love is installed on a pedestrian bridge while supporters of presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 02 gather on Jl. Merdeka Barat, Jakarta as the Constitutional Court holds a hearing on the election dispute on Thursday (27/6/2019 ).
Jokowi stressed that he and Ma\'ruf Amin would become president and vice president for all of the Indonesian people regardless of their political choices in the elections. Jokowi also appreciated the magnanimity and statesmanship of Prabowo and Sandi, whom he called good friends.
"They both have the same vision in developing Indonesia in the future that is to make Indonesia better, more advanced and more prosperous," he said.
Separately, Prabowo expressed his respect for the court’s ruling. "We will remain obedient and follow the constitutional path. So, with this, we express respect for the results of the court\'s decision," Prabowo said, accompanied by Sandi and leaders of parties that supported him in the election.
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Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman (center) presides over the hearing of the election dispute filed presidential and vice presidential candidate pair number 02 Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, Thursday (27/6/2019) .
Prabowo said he would consult with his legal team to consider the next legal step after the court\'s decision. Today, Prabowo will also meet with the leaders of the supporting parties to discuss the fate of the coalition in the future.
When asked whether he would soon meet with Jokowi after the court\'s decision, Prabowo said, "God willing, it will be arranged later."
The reading session of the court’s ruling regarding the dispute over the presidential election results was marked by peaceful demonstrations around the court building. However, approaching 6 p.m., which had been set as the deadline for the demonstration, the protesters began to leave the area around the court building.
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Thousands of supporters of presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 02 gather on Jl. Merdeka Barat, Jakarta, while the Constitutional Court holds a hearing to announce its decision on the the 2019 presidential election dispute on Thursday (27/6/2019).
KPU chairman Arief Budiman said the commission would invite the Jokowi-Amin and Prabowo-Sandi pairs to the open plenary meeting to declare the elected candidate pair on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
"We will also invite the election organizers, namely Bawaslu [the Elections Supervisory Agency] and DKPP [the Election Organization Ethics Council]. We will also invite relevant agencies and ministries, which according to the law, will receive a copy of our decision, for example the state secretariat, MA [Supreme Court], DPR, MPR [People’s Consultative Assembly], Bawaslu, and the Constitutional Court. The institutions will receive a copy of our decision. We also present institutions that have been working with us so far, such as the Indonesian National Police, the Home Ministry, and several other institutions," Arief said.
The commissioners of the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) greet members of the legal teams of the plaintiff and relevant parties before the start of a hearing on the verdict of the election dispute at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta on Thursday (27/6/2019).
Decision
In a decision read out alternately by nine constitutional justices from 12:40 a.m. to 9:16 p.m., the Constitutional Court in its consideration, among other things, affirmed its authority in settling the dispute over the election results.
"The objection that can be submitted to the court is only about the counting of the votes. The court is the only judicial executive that can check and decide the result of elections. In this case, the Elections Law provides strict limits, namely only on the election results. But, in order to arrive at the results of the election, it will only question the numbers, but also can intersect with the issue of constitutionality of the implementation of elections that can have an impact on the election results, both quantitative and qualitative," court justice Suhartoyo said in his consideration.
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Secretary-general of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Hanif Dhakiri shakes hands with Bambang Widjojanto of the legal team of Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno’s campaign, while Denny Indrayana looks on during a hearing for the election dispute at the Constitutional Court, Jakarta, Thursday (27/6/2019).
The court also stated that the petitioners\' argument related to Ma\'ruf Amin\'s status as an employee or official of a state-owned enterprise (BUMN) when he submitted his candidacy as vice president was not proven.
"Referring to Article 1 of the Sharia Banking Law, the Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS), even though it is an organ affiliated with an Islamic bank, is different from the commissioners or directors placed in Islamic bank organs.
The DPS is not part of employees, let alone Islamic bank officials. There is no connection between the position of the DPS and BUMN officials. Therefore, it is irrelevant to question Ma\'ruf Amin\'s resignation as a condition of being a vice presidential candidate," said court justice Wahiduddin Adams.
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Lawyers from the relevant parties pose for a photograph during a hearing for the election lawsuit filed by presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 02 Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, Thursday (27/6/2019). The General Elections Commission (KPU) was the defendant in the case, while presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 01 Joko Widodo-Ma\'ruf Amin was a relevant party and the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) was required to provide clarification.
According to Prabowo’s legal team, Ma’ruf should have first resigned before submitting his candidacy because he was an employee of a state-owned company.(REK/AGE/IGA/EDN/INA/ IAN/ DAN/ FAN/ INK)
