Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has ruled that President Prabowo Subianto's explicit endorsement of Central Java gubernatorial candidate Ahmad Luthfi and his running mate Taj Yasin Maimoen did not constitute an election violation, allowing the Gerindra party patron to go scot-free.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Bawaslu chair Rahmat Bagja said that Bawaslu has concluded its probe into Prabowo's video endorsement of the Luthfi-Yasin pair.
The probe included a review of the candidates' official social media accounts and their Campaign Information and Fund System (SIKADEKA), as well as gathering statements from the Central Java General Elections Commission (KPU) and three experts.
"Bawaslu has concluded that there has been no election violation, be it administrative violations or election law violations," Rahmat said.
The video in question was uploaded to Luthfi's Instagram account on Nov. 9 and showed Prabowo – wearing a blue shirt that matched with those of Luthfi and Yasin, who stood next to him – saying that the two were the right "figures" for Central Java
"I think they make a good team and will work well with me and the central government. As such, I urge the people of Central Java to cast their votes for Luthfi and Taj Yasin," Prabowo said.
The Luthfi-Yasin pair is running on the ticket of Prabowo's Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM). The pair are neck and neck in public opinion surveys with their rivals Andika Perkasa and Hendrar Prihadi, who are backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Under prevailing laws, state officials, including the President, are allowed to participate in campaigns so long as they take a leave of absence and do not misuse state resources.
But Bawaslu found that the video in question was recorded on Nov. 3, meaning that it was not required that Prabowo take leave, since it was a public holiday.
Bawaslu also said that the video was posted well within the official campaign window, which runs from Sept. 25 to Nov. 23.
Bawaslu added that the President in the video did not instruct state officials to support the Luthfi-Yasin pair, which would constitute an election violation.