Written by Aly Firdaus
Indonesia's Constitutional Court on Monday dismissed two complaints challenging the results of the Feb. 14 presidential election, raising the final hurdle for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to take over as leader of Southeast Asia's largest country. Ta.
The court dismissed the petition in defeat for presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Gunjal Pranowo. Both men each claimed the election was marred by fraud and favoritism toward the former general.
Prabowo's rivals say his campaign is being unfairly aided by the support of reluctant but popular President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and by the abuse of state institutions such as courts and social assistance programs. was making a point.
The court first dealt with Áñez's petition, saying there was “no legal basis” for claims that the president or state institutions had intervened on Prabowo's behalf.
“In the main complaint, [the court] We reject the applicant's petition in its entirety,” said Chief Justice Suhartoyo, who acts under a single name.
The justices rejected claims that social assistance was distributed to influence voters.
“The court is of the view that there is no causal relationship or connection between the distribution of welfare benefits and the increase in the vote share of one of the candidates,” Justice Arsul Sani said.
Later that day, the court also rejected Ganjal's challenge, saying there was no evidence of nepotism or abuse of power by the state.
Prabowo's lawyer Otto Hasibuan said the verdict was “a victory for all Indonesians.”
“Organized” violations
Five judges ruled denying both petitions, and three dissented.
Judge Arif Hidayat, one of the dissenters, said the government had “committed electoral fraud in a structural and systematic manner.”
In a February 14 opinion poll, Prabowo's vote share was 58.61%, significantly higher than former Jakarta Governor Anies's 24.9% and former Central Java Governor Ganjar's 16.5%.
Prabowo, 72, won his third presidential election by nominating Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabumin Raka, as his running mate.
Girvan's nomination as vice-presidential candidate was approved by a controversial Constitutional Court ruling last October that changed eligibility rules to allow the 36-year-old to run.
The court's chief judge at the time, Anwar Usman, was Jokowi's brother-in-law and was later convicted of ethics violations.
Jokowi has not explicitly endorsed any candidate and has denied allegations of nepotism.
Several monitoring groups have labeled the election the worst since Indonesia transitioned to democracy 25 years ago, citing issues of campaign finance and electoral fraud.
Mr. Prabowo, who lost elections to Mr. Jokowi twice before taking over as defense minister, has embarked on a massive campaign to soften Mr. Jokowi's image from an ardent nationalist to that of a cuddly, lovable grandpa. The rebranding effort resulted in a landslide victory.
The former special forces commander has been linked to human rights abuses throughout his political career, but he has always denied the allegations.
He is set to take over in October, replacing Jokowi, who remains hugely popular.
Following Monday's ruling, Presidential Chief Coordinator Ali Dwipayana said the government would respect the Constitutional Court's decision.
“The government will immediately prepare and fully support the president and vice president-elect in their transition process,” he said in a written statement.
