Constitutional Court Rejects Nine Pilkada Lawsuits in West Sumatra, Two Others Continue to Evidence Hearing

PADANG, KOMPAS - The Constitutional Court or MK rejected nine lawsuits regarding the results of the regional elections in West Sumatra. Meanwhile, two lawsuits will proceed to the evidentiary hearing and two other lawsuits will be read on Wednesday night (5/2/2025).

There are 11 regions whose election results have been contested to the Constitutional Court. These regions are the City of Sawahlunto, the City of Padang Panjang, the City of Solok, the City of Payakumbuh, Pasaman Regency (two lawsuits), South Solok Regency, and Limapuluh Kota Regency. In addition, there are West Pasaman Regency (two lawsuits), Tanah Datar Regency, the City of Padang, and Mentawai Islands Regency.

Nine lawsuits that were rejected are the Regional Head Elections of Sawahlunto City, Padang Panjang City, Solok City, Payakumbuh City, Pasaman Regency, South Solok Regency, Limapuluh Kota Regency, West Pasaman Regency, and the Regional Head Election of Tanah Datar Regency.

Meanwhile, two lawsuits that proceeded to the examination or proof hearing are the Pasaman Regency Election filed by the candidate pair Mara Ondak-Desrizal and the West Pasaman Regency Election filed by the candidate pair Daliyus-Heri Miheldi. The hearings will take place from February 7-17, 2025.

"There are two lawsuits whose verdicts have not yet been read, namely the City of Padang and the Mentawai Islands Regency. The verdicts for both will be read by the Constitutional Court this Wednesday evening," said the Head of the Division of Socialization, Voter Education, Community Participation, and Human Resources of the West Sumatra General Election Commission, Jons Manedi, on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Jons, most of the reasons the Constitutional Court rejected the lawsuit were because the petition was vague or obscuur libel. Others were rejected because the applicant withdrew the lawsuit (Sawahlunto), the petition was declared null and void (Solok), the petition passed the deadline (Pasaman), and the petition was legally groundless (Tanah Datar).

Jons continued, for regions where the local elections are no longer under dispute in the Constitutional Court, the district/city KPU will immediately determine the elected regional head candidates. "The district/city KPU must determine the elected candidates no later than three days after the Constitutional Court's decision is announced," he said.

The regions whose regional head candidates have been determined are Sawahlunto, Padang Panjang, Solok, Payakumbuh, South Solok, Limapuluh Kota, and Tanah Datar.

Several district/city KPUs held plenary meetings to determine the elected regional head candidates after the reading of the Constitutional Court's decision. The South Solok KPU, for example, held an open plenary meeting to determine the elected regent and deputy regent on Wednesday afternoon.

"The South Solok KPU has determined candidate number 1, Khairunas and Yulian Efi, as the candidate pair for the elected Regent and Deputy Regent of South Solok Regency for the 2025-2030 period," said the Chairperson of the South Solok KPU, Ade Kurnia Zelli, in a plenary meeting broadcast live on the South Solok KPU YouTube channel.

Ade said that the Khairunas-Yulian Efi candidate pair obtained 45,326 votes or 55.14 percent of the total valid votes.

The incumbent candidate pair won over candidate pair number 2, Armen Syahjonan-Boy Iswarmen, who won 36,869 votes or 44.85 percent of the total valid votes.