House Elects New Constitutional Court Chief Justice

Jakarta, March 20 (Antara) - The House of Representatives (DPR) has named Arief Hidayat new Constitutional Court chief justice replacing Mahfud MD who will soon enter retirement. "I, on behalf of the DPR, congratulate Arief Hidayat on his being elected Constitutional Court chief justice," Deputy House Speaker Sohibul Iman said at a plenary session here on Tuesday. The session accepted by acclamation the House Commission III`s report on the election of Arief Hidayat as new Constitutional Court chief justice. Arief Hidayat, a professor of the school of law at Diponegoro University (Undip) in Semarang, was elected to the post by gaining 42 votes at the plenary session, outclassing his two contenders, Sugiyanto and Djafar Elbram, with five votes and one vote respectively.