Anies At The Constitutional Court Session: Deviations In Presidential Elections Like This We Have Never Seen Before

Presidential Candidate Anies Baswedan In The 2024 Election Lawsuit Session At The Constitutional Court, Wednesday 27 March 2024 (Rizzky AP/VOI)

JAKARTA - Anies Baswedan in the 2024 presidential election dispute trial at the Constitutional Court (MK) said that the deviation in the implementation of the 2024 General Election was carried out massively.

This, according to Anies, has never happened in the implementation of the previous general election. This was conveyed by Anies during the principal presentation of the applicant at the beginning of the Constitutional Court trial.

"We have never seen this deviation scale before, Your Majesty. We have witnessed irregularities like this on a small scale, pilkada, small population. But on a very large and cross-sectoral scale, this is the first time we all witnessed," said Anies at the Constitutional Court building, Thursday, March 27.

Anies explained the alleged election violation which he said was eroded by power intervention. An example is the use of state institutions to win presidential and vice presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Anies also mentioned a misleading practice, where regional officials were under pressure and were even rewarded with influencing the direction of political choice.

"As well as the misuse of aid from the state, the social assistance that should be intended for the welfare of the people is instead used as a transactional tool to win one of the candidates," said Anies.

In front of the Constitutional Court judges, Anies also mentioned the serious ethical violation of the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Anwar Usman, regarding the decision on the presidential and vice presidential age lawsuit, which passed Gibran Rakabuming Raka as a participant in the 2024 presidential election.

"Even this intervention had penetrated until the leader of the Constitutional Court, when the leader of the Constitutional Court who was supposed to play the role of General of the last bulwark, upholding the principle of democracy was threatened by intervention, then the foundation of our country, the foundation of our democracy, was in real danger," explained Anies.

On that basis, Anies hopes that the Constitutional Court judge can grant his claim. "We ask the constitutional judge that we honor to apply wisdom and justice in every case decision we submit," he added.

For information, the presidential election dispute lawsuit filed by Anies and Muhaimin has case number 2/PHPU.PRES-XXII/2024. In the lawsuit, they wanted a re-voting by disqualifying Gibran Rakabuming Raka.