Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – Losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto announced on Thursday evening that he accepted the Constitutional Court's decision to reject his petition to overturn the April 17 election result, though he stopped short of conceding defeat.
"Even though we understand that the decision is very disappointing to us, we will abide [by it] and follow our Constitution and the prevailing legal system in our country. We respect the court's ruling. We rely on God for truth and justice," he said at his residence in South Jakarta.
The former general said he would seek advice on whether there was still a legal avenue available to appeal the court's ruling, which is final and binding.
He called on his supporters to remain calm and work toward national unity. "We must look at the children of the nation as our own brothers," he said.
In its lawsuit, the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno ticket claimed that the 2019 presidential election was marred by "structured, systematic and massive" fraud, alleging that the General Elections Commission (KPU) had inflated the vote tally for incumbent Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin by some 22 million votes.
The court said the ticket had failed to prove its claims.