Jakarta. The Constitutional Court has summoned four ministers from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's cabinet to deliver testimonies in the election dispute trial, as requested by defeated presidential candidates, a spokesperson said on Monday.

The four cabinet members -- Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini -- are scheduled to testify on Friday.

Court spokeswoman Enny Nurbaningsih said testimonies from the cabinet members would be crucial because they have been mentioned multiple times in the motion filed by Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, both defeated in the Feb. 14 election.

The two candidates alleged that election winner Prabowo Subianto had been given an unfair advantage by the Jokowi government in the form of an intensified government social assistance program ahead of the election.

Prabowo has teamed up with the president’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate.

Given the president’s thinly veiled support for Prabowo’s candidacy, the increased government assistance provided to the people before the election could influence voters in a way that favors Prabowo, the plaintiffs argued.

Prabowo secured an outright win in the election with 58.58 percent of the vote.

"Pertinent to the arguments by the plaintiffs, their presented evidence, and the response by the KPU (General Election Commission) and the Bawaslu (Election Oversight Body), it’s considered necessary to cross-examine the four individuals," Enny told reporters in Jakarta.

"Formal summonses will be served appropriately by the Constitutional Court, and we look forward to their presence," she added.

Chief Justice Suhartoyo said earlier all eight justices trying the election disputes had agreed to summon the four ministers.

Suhartoyo clarified that the inquiries of the four ministers will be conducted solely by the justices. The plaintiffs and the defendants -- namely the KPU and the Bawaslu -- won’t be allowed to interview the ministers on the court floor, he said.

"Their testimonies are requested by the court; accordingly, we won’t allow time for other parties to conduct an inquiry. The questions will be asked only by justices," Suhartoyo said.

The Prabowo camp has dismissed the motion as absurd because both defendants heavily criticized the president, who is not a defendant in the ongoing trial.

Anies and Ganjar also questioned the legality of Gibran’s candidacy because he was only eligible to contest after the Constitutional Court amended a provision that requires a candidate to be at least 40 years old.

In a controversial ruling in October, the court made exceptions for candidates who have served or are serving in elected public office. Gibran, who is 37, became eligible because he is also the elected mayor of Solo.

Prabowo’s legal team, who participated in the trial as "the party of interest," argued that disputes regarding election procedures should be settled before the polls, not afterward.

It also pointed out that since Anies and Ganjar contested the election alongside Prabowo and Gibran, they essentially accepted Gibran’s nomination as the vice presidential candidate.

Additionally, the current dispute is being tried by the Constitutional Court, the very same court that allowed Gibran to contest, making it impossible for the justices to try their own ruling.

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