Muhammad Akbar Maulana, Muhammad Dwi Nurfaisal, Zakaria Habib Al-Ra’zie

Restoring Integrity: Re-Voting of the 2025 Serang Regent Election and Its Transformative Power for Local Democracy

Introduction

Restoring integrity: re-voting of the 2025 serang regent election and its transformative power for local democracy. Study the 2025 Serang Regent Election re-vote (Constitutional Court decision) due to neutrality violations. Analyzes juridical aspects, administrative challenges & impact on local democracy.

Abstract

Re-Voting in the Regional Head Election is one of the corrective instruments in the Indonesian electoral democracy system which aims to ensure fairness and integrity in the implementation of elections. This study specifically examines the implementation of Re-Voting in the context of the 2025 Serang Regency Regent Election, which was decided by the Constitutional Court as a result of proven violations of the principle of neutrality by a number of village heads who actively provided support to one of the candidate pairs. This study aims to analyze the juridical aspects underlying Re-Voting decisions, identify administrative challenges in their implementation, and evaluate their impact on the quality of local democracy in Serang Regency. The research approach used is qualitative with a juridical-normative method, supported by secondary data analysis in the form of Constitutional Court decisions, related laws and regulations, and reliable news sources from mainstream media. The results of the study show that the implementation of Re-Voting in Serang Regency not only indicates weak supervision of village officials in local political contests, but also highlights the urgency of regulatory reform related to the neutrality of village apparatus in the Regional Elections. In addition, administrative challenges such as budget limitations and coordination between election organizing agencies are important highlights that can affect the effectiveness of Re-Voting. This study recommends strengthening mechanisms to prevent violations of neutrality, as well as increasing the institutional capacity of election organizers in dealing with complex local political dynamics.

Review

This study critically examines the crucial role of re-voting as a corrective instrument within Indonesia's electoral democracy, focusing specifically on the 2025 Serang Regency Regent Election. The paper adeptly frames the issue around proven violations of neutrality by village heads, providing a timely and highly relevant analysis of electoral integrity challenges at the local level. The authors clearly articulate their objectives: to dissect the juridical underpinnings of re-voting decisions, identify administrative hurdles, and assess their broader impact on the quality of local democracy. This focused approach promises valuable insights into the complexities of upholding fairness and trust in regional elections. Utilizing a qualitative, juridical-normative research approach, supported by robust secondary data encompassing Constitutional Court decisions, relevant legislation, and mainstream media reports, the study lays a strong foundation for its analysis. The findings are particularly salient, highlighting not only the pervasive issue of weak supervision over village officials in political contests but also underscoring the urgent need for regulatory reform concerning the neutrality of village apparatus. Furthermore, the identification of administrative challenges, such as budgetary constraints and inter-agency coordination issues, provides a practical dimension to the academic discussion, illustrating the tangible obstacles that can impede the effective implementation of corrective electoral measures. Overall, this research offers a significant contribution to the discourse on electoral governance and local democracy in Indonesia. By meticulously analyzing the Serang Regency case, the study not only exposes systemic vulnerabilities but also proposes actionable recommendations, including strengthening violation prevention mechanisms and enhancing the institutional capacity of election organizers. While the juridical-normative approach provides a strong legal framework, future research could potentially benefit from incorporating primary data from interviews with election stakeholders or affected communities to enrich the evaluation of re-voting's 'transformative power' on the ground. Nevertheless, this paper provides a valuable blueprint for policymakers and election practitioners striving to restore and maintain integrity in local democratic processes.

Full Text

Comments

You need to be logged in to post a comment.