Mendes Yandri Denies His Wife Won The 2024 Serang Pilbub Thanks To Her Influence

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto during a press conference in Jakarta, Wednesday (26/2/2025). (ANTARA/Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi)

JAKARTA - Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDTT) Yandri Susanto said the victory of his wife, Ratu Rahchmatuzakiyah, in the 2024 Serang Regent Election (Pilbub) was not due to his influence.

Yandri conveyed this in response to the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) which canceled his wife's victory as a candidate for regent number 2 and ordered a re-voting.

"I think I am something, right, it's only been two weeks since the Minister of Village, the others have been in power for 28 years," Yandri said during a press conference in Jakarta, Wednesday, February 26, which was confiscated by Antara.

He said that his assumption of influencing the regional election victory was naive.

According to him, the Constitutional Court's decision canceled the votes of the people of Serang Regency in the 2024 Pilkada. Based on the plenary recapitulation of the votes of the Serang Regency KPU on December 4, 2024, the candidate pair number 2 Ratu Zakiyah and Najib Hamas won with 66.35 percent of the votes.

Meanwhile, candidate pair number 1 Andika Hazrumy and Nanang Supriatna received 28.62 percent of the total voters (DPT) totaling 1,257,791 voters.

"Yesterday, the people really spoke because they no longer want corruption, no longer want to buy and sell positions in Serang Regency, there are no more unwanted things, such as scattered garbage and so on," said Yandri.

Even so, he acknowledged that the decisions that had been submitted by the Constitutional Court were final and binding.

As a PAN politician who carries his wife, Yandri said PAN is ready to undergo a re-voting (PSU).

The Constitutional Court ordered the Serang Regency KPU, Banten, to re-vote (PSU) for the 2024 Pilkada because the argument for the village head's neutrality was proven at trial.

The Constitutional Court also found that there were a series of legal evidences and facts regarding activities involving Mendes PDTT Yandri Susanto in the activity of providing support to his wife.