TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The General Elections Commission (KPU) of Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java, has remained silent following the Constitutional Court’s (MK) decision to disqualify the elected regent and deputy regent. The ruling affects the winners of the 2024 regional election, incumbent Regent Ade Sugianto and his running mate, Iip Miftahul Paoz.

Tasikmalaya KPU chairman Ami Imron Tamami has not responded to interview requests from Tempo, nor has Commissioner Yugastiana Ainulyaqin, despite repeated attempts since Monday.

Meanwhile, Tasikmalaya Deputy Regent Cecep Nurul Yakin, who ran against Ade and was the petitioner in the Constitutional Court case, only gave a brief response after the court ruled in his favor. Cecep, who ran alongside Asep Sopari Al-Ayubi under the backing of Gerindra, PPP, PKS, and the Democratic Party, declined to elaborate. “[Please ask] directly to Mr. Amir Mahpud (Chairman of Gerindra’s West Java DPD),” he told Tempo on February 25.

On the other hand, parties that backed Ade and Iip expressed disappointment, arguing the ruling was unfair. “If Mr. Ade was found guilty of maladministration, only he should have been disqualified—not his running mate. The election results should not have been annulled,” said Ami Fahmi, chairman of the Tasikmalaya branch of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Despite their objections, Ami acknowledged that the Constitutional Court’s decision is final and binding. He stated that coalition parties are now focused on calming down their constituents and supporters to prevent unrest over the ruling. "We are focused on consolidating our base, ensuring that our voters remain engaged and do not lose faith ahead of the repeat election," he added.

On Monday, February 24, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of candidate pair No. 2, Cecep Nurul Yakin and Asep Sopari Al-Ayubi, who challenged the KPU’s approval of Ade Sugianto’s candidacy. The court ruled that Ade was ineligible to run in the 2024 election, as he had already served more than two terms as regent—violating Article 7, Paragraph 2, Section n of Law No. 10/2016.

As a result, the court ordered the Tasikmalaya KPU to hold a repeat election (PSU) within 60 days, excluding Ade from the candidate list.

With Ade disqualified, the Constitutional Court also annulled three KPU decisions:

1. KPU Tasikmalaya Decision No. 2689/2024 on the certification of the 2024 regent and deputy regent election results.
2. KPU Tasikmalaya Decision No. 1574/2024 on the certification of candidate pairs.
3. KPU Tasikmalaya Decision No. 1575/2024 on the assignment of candidate numbers.

Despite Ade’s disqualification, his running mate Iip Miftahul Paoz remains eligible to participate in the repeat election. The Constitutional Court thereby instructed the political parties or coalition that nominated Ade to propose a replacement candidate.

The 2024 Tasikmalaya regional election originally featured three candidate pairs:

• Candidate No. 1: Iwan Saputra and Dede Muksit Aly (Golkar and PAN, supported by eight non-parliamentary parties) – 192,183 votes.
• Candidate No. 2: Cecep Nurul Yakin and Asep Sopari Al-Ayubi (Gerindra, PPP, PKS, and Democratic Party) – 257,843 votes.
• Candidate No. 3: Ade Sugianto and Iip Miftahul Paoz (PDI-P, PKB, and Nasdem) – 487,854 votes.

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