JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Each Constitutional Court justice will compile their legal opinion regarding the 2019 presidential election dispute. These legal opinions will then be presented at a justices’ assembly to be held between Monday and Thursday.
Constitutional Court justice and spokesperson I Dewa Gede Palguna said that each of the court’s nine justices would be helped by a team of researchers to compile their respective legal opinions. The help will be limited to providing references and reading materials. The justices will reach their own ruling and legal opinion. “Each of [the justices] will compile their own legal opinion. As for when they will be stated, it depends on the debates in the assembly,” Palguna said in Jakarta on Sunday evening (23/6).
It is yet to be determined when the justices’ assembly will be held within the timeframe of June 24-27, as the justices are still compiling their legal opinions. After the legal opinions are compiled, they will be presented and debated in the assembly.
Constitutional Court secretary-general Guntur Hamzah said the court’s secretariat and officials would remain on duty during holidays to assist the justices in compiling their legal opinions. According to Guntur, 18 researchers were being prepared to help provide materials and references for the constitutional court justices in compiling their legal opinions. Each justice will have assistance from two researchers.
“The two researchers will work with one justice to help provide reference materials. The justice will then determine whether the reference materials are relevant or not,” he said.
Awaited
The justices’ considerations, which will be reflected in their legal arguments that will serve as the basis for the eventual ruling in the election dispute, are awaited in the assembly.
In a public discussion themed “Expose of Mini Research Results: Comparison of Parties’ Arguments, Evidence and Regulations in the 2019 Presidential Election Dispute Resolution” on Sunday, Indonesia Jentera School of Law (IJSL) lecturer Bivitri Susanti said these legal considerations would determine whether the justices had the authority to adjudicate on the claims made by the plaintiff, namely the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno camp.
On May 24, the plaintiff submitted a 37-page petition comprising seven claims. On June 10, the plaintiff submitted a 146-page revised petition with 15 claims. The plaintiff claims that structured, systematic and massive election fraud occurred.
Bivitri said the public should also observe the justices’ review of the witnesses and evidence presented in the hearings. She reaffirmed that the case at the constitutional court would exclusively focus on the election result dispute.
After the final hearing on Friday evening, Prabowo-Sandiaga legal team head Bambang Widjojanto said the evidence, factual witnesses and experts his team presented at the hearings had strengthened the team’s claims. However, Bambang said that the team would accept and respect the court’s ruling, whatever it might be.
Separately, Joko Widodo-Ma’ruf Amin legal team secretary Ade Irfan Pulungan said he was convinced the court would reject Prabowo-Sandiaga’s litigation. He said the witnesses’ statements, evidence and experts the Prabowo-Sandiaga camp presented at the hearings were irrelevant to their claims. (REK/INK/AGE)