Politics · Indonesia · 3 hrs ago
Solo Election Watchdog Faces Lawsuit Over Jokowi's Diploma
Two plaintiffs sued Solo's election watchdog in a Central Jakarta court over Joko Widodo's diploma.
They also named election commissions and watchdogs at national and Jakarta levels, the Solo election commission and Gadjah Mada University.
The plaintiffs say the watchdog failed to check diploma paperwork when Widodo ran for mayor of Solo and later for governor and president.
They allege certified copies used for his candidacies lacked a date of certification, which they say made them administratively defective under a 2008 education ministry regulation.
The case has not yet reached its main arguments; it went through mediation in July, and the watchdog says it has filed a preliminary objection.
The watchdog expects the court to accept its objection, citing an earlier ruling in a case it says was similar.
The court's next steps and any ruling on the substance of the allegations were not stated.
Bonatua Silalahi and Moeryono Aladin sued Solo’s election watchdog, Bawaslu Solo, over its oversight of Joko Widodo’s diploma documents.
The lawsuit alleges that Bawaslu Solo failed to oversee administrative requirements for Jokowi’s diploma as he ran for office.
The plaintiffs say legalized copies of the diploma used in his election candidacies did not state when they were certified.
Bawaslu Solo says the court has not yet reached the substance of the case and that it has filed an objection.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2026, also names election commissions, other election watchdogs and Gadjah Mada University.
- Who
- Bonatua Silalahi and Moeryono Aladin sued Bawaslu Solo, along with eight other institutions and individuals.
- What
- The civil lawsuit concerns Bawaslu Solo’s oversight of administrative requirements for Joko Widodo’s diploma.
- When
- The lawsuit was registered on June 10, 2026. Bawaslu Solo commented on it on October 14, 2026.
- Where
- The case is at the Central Jakarta District Court.
- Why
- The plaintiffs allege that legalized diploma copies used in Jokowi’s candidacies lacked a certification date and that Bawaslu Solo failed to oversee the requirements.
The plaintiffs
Bawaslu Solo
Issue
The plaintiffs
The plaintiffs allege that Bawaslu Solo was negligent in overseeing diploma requirements and that the legalized copies lacked a certification date.
Bawaslu Solo
Bawaslu Solo says the case has not yet reached its substance and says it has submitted an objection that it expects the judges to accept.
Bonatua Silalahi and Moeryono Aladin registered the lawsuit at the Central Jakarta District Court.
The civil lawsuit went through mediation.
Bawaslu Solo said the hearing had not yet reached the substance of the case.
- Case number
- 395/Pdt.G/2026/PN Jkt.Pst
- Plaintiffs
- Bonatua Silalahi and Moeryono Aladin
- Court
- Central Jakarta District Court
- Other named parties
- KPU RI, KPU DKI Jakarta, KPU Solo, Bawaslu RI, Bawaslu DKI Jakarta and UGM
- Relevant regulation
- Education Minister Regulation No. 59 of 2008
What people are saying
According to the plaintiffs, the legalized copies of Jokowi’s diploma used for his candidacies for mayor, governor and president did not state the date of certification and were therefore considered administratively defective and in violation of Education Minister Regulation No. 59 of 2008.
However, this hearing has not yet entered the substance of the case, so we are still following the scheduled stages of the proceedings.
We are optimistic that the panel of judges will accept the objection submitted by Bawaslu Solo in the proceedings.