During the earlier election dispute hearing, plaintiff Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar argued that Jokowi's support of Gibran's candidacy constituted a violation of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Resolution No. XI/MPR/1998, Law No. 28 of 1999, and Article 282 of the Election Law.
The three laws highlighted by the petitioner mandated corruption-, collusion-, and nepotism-free governance in Indonesia.
"As the petitioner did not elaborate their argument, the Court finds no solid evidence to (back) the truth of the plaintiff's argument," Justice Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh stated at the election dispute verdict hearing here on Monday.
Foekh said the court viewed the Vice President's office as an elected position, not directly appointed. Meanwhile, the laws prohibited nepotism in appointed offices.
"It means that an office (whose official) is elected in an election could not constitute a form of nepotism," the court justice stated.
The court also found that Article 282 of the Election Law highlighted by the petitioner, which prohibits officials from acting in favor of an election candidate during the campaign period, is not relevant to alleged nepotism in the election candidacy process.
Foekh stated that a meeting between the president and political party leaders, pointed out by the plaintiff in the election dispute hearing, took place on May 2, 2023, way before the campaign period.
Hence, the MK concluded that Anies-Muhaimin's argument that a violation of anti-nepotism laws had occurred in Gibran's vice presidential bid was legally unreasonable.
Candidate pairs Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, who lost in the Presidential Election, have contested the election results.
After the conclusion of the hearing on April 16 and the justices' verdict deliberation on April 21, Chief Justice Suhartoyo opened the election dispute verdict hearing on Monday at 8:59 a.m. Jakarta time.
The plaintiffs have both urged the MK to annul the General Elections Commission (KPU) Decision No. 360 of 2024 declaring Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the candidates with the highest votes in the Presidential Election.
They have also asked the court to decide in favor of the disqualification of Prabowo-Gibran and order a repeat election without Prabowo-Gibran.
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Translator: Nadia Putri R, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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