TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar Legal Team revealed that it has included arguments and evidence regarding the politicization of social assistance in the 2024 presidential election in its complaints to the Constitutional Court (MK).

"We have received a lot of evidence on the ground about the correlation between social assistance distribution and the increase in votes," the head of the legal team, Ari Yusuf Amir, told Tempo on Monday, March 25, 2024.

However, Ari did not elaborate on what evidence was brought to the election dispute application to MK. Ari Yusuf also answered the chance of social assistance politicization considering President Joko Widodo or Jokowi was not part of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka campaign team.

"Yes, that is precisely the question, why the massive distribution of social assistance to win [Prabowo-Gibran]? [President Jokowi] was not even on the campaign team,” said Ari Yusuf.

Ari Yusuf also explained that the legal team of Anies-Muhaimin claimed ‘constitutional betrayal’ in its application to the Constitutional Court. “With relations to the social assistance, we will prove that there is a significant increase of votes for Prabowo-Gobran in a number of regions after social assistance distribution,” he said.

“For example, the distribution by Zulkifli Hasan (Minister of Trade) and Airlangga Hartarto (Minister for Economic Affairs).”

For information, Zulkifli Hasan is Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), while Airlangga Hartarto is Chairman of the Golkar Party. Both are part of the Onward Indonesia Coalition that backed Prabowo-Gibran.

Last week, the Anies-Muhaimin Legal Team officially registered a dispute over the election results.

"We hope that a re-vote will be held without the current vice presidential candidate number 02 (Gibran Rakabuming Raka)," said Ari Yusuf Amir at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Ari Yusuf said that Gibran could be replaced by anyone to ensure a fair and just fight in the election. As information, Gibran Rakabumin became qualified for vice presidential candidacy after a last-minute change to the rules at MK.

"From the beginning, the process was problematic and the follow-up issues were extraordinary because the vice presidential candidate happened to be the president's son (Joko Widodo)t," Ari Yusuf concluded.

AMELIA RAHIMA SARI

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