Palembang – The final vote tally of the Palembang mayoral election, completed by the Palembang General Election Commission (KPU) on Thursday evening (December 5, 2024), has sparked controversy. Candidates No. 1, Fitrianti-Nandriani, and No. 3, Yudha-Bahar, have rejected the results, alleging significant violations involving structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) fraud with the involvement of civil servants (ASN) in Palembang’s municipal government.
The final tally declared the Ratu Dewa-Prima Salam pair as the winners with 352,696 votes, or 46.52% of the valid votes. Candidate pair No. 1 received 175,495 votes (23.14%), while pair No. 3 obtained 229,895 votes (30.32%). Both runner-up pairs refused to sign the final recapitulation report.
Syawaluddin, Chair of the Palembang KPU, stated that the refusal to sign the results by representatives of candidates No. 1 and 3 does not affect the validity of the recapitulation process. “It is not an issue if witnesses choose not to sign,” he said.
Similarly, Handoko, the Commissioner of the South Sumatra KPU for Technical and Election Implementation, affirmed that the process remains valid despite the dissent. “It is the witnesses’ right not to sign, and their objections have been recorded in a special incident form,” he explained.
Legal Steps Towards Constitutional Court
Both No. 1 and No. 3 campaign teams are not only rejecting the results but are also signaling their intent to take the matter to the Constitutional Court (MK). Wiratama Yudha, a representative of candidate pair No. 1, confirmed that their team is preparing evidence to challenge the election results legally. “We have not recognized the results since the PPK level up to the KPU Palembang level. We are working hard to prove the alleged violations that occurred during the election,” he stated.
Similarly, Darius, a representative of candidate pair No. 3, expressed concerns about the election process, asserting that it failed to uphold the principles of direct, free, confidential, honest, and fair elections (luber-jurdil). “We feel deeply disadvantaged. There is a high possibility that we will file an election dispute with the Constitutional Court to seek justice,” he said.
Civil Servant Involvement Under Scrutiny
A major point of contention raised by both candidates’ teams is the alleged involvement of civil servants in supporting one particular candidate pair, which violates election neutrality regulations. Darius emphasized that such actions undermined the fairness of the election process.
This year’s Palembang mayoral election has drawn public attention due to the strong objections from two major candidates. The decision to bring the dispute to the Constitutional Court could determine the future of Palembang’s democratic process.
The public now awaits clarity on the legal actions to be taken, hoping for a resolution that upholds transparency and justice for all parties involved.