KPU Sorong delays NasDem DPRK replacement amid legal dispute

The interim replacement (PAW) process for a NasDem Party member of the Sorong City Regional House of Representatives (DPRK) remains unresolved due to ongoing legal disputes involving Demanto Silalahi.

KPU Sorong Chairperson Hilman Jafar stated that the commission is waiting for legal certainty before issuing administrative decisions regarding the replacement. He emphasized that the KPU cannot ignore active legal processes to avoid future legal complications.

However, anti-corruption activist Andrew Warmasen has urged the KPU to proceed with the replacement, noting that the Sorong District Court (PN Sorong) had previously rejected Silalahi's lawsuit. Warmasen argued that the decision should be considered final (inkrah) because the legal steps taken by Silalahi—filing an appeal to the West Papua High Court instead of a cassation to the Supreme Court within the allotted 14-day window—were deemed procedurally incorrect. Warmasen warned that prolonged delays could hinder the legislative body's ability to represent its constituents.