NU Congress Ballot Boxes for Ahwa Under Tight Security in Tambakberas

The organising committee of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress is storing proposal documents containing the names of kiai candidates for the Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi (Ahwa) in glass boxes under tight security. The Ahwa is a council or forum comprising nine senior ulama or selected kiai khos. They will be tasked with deliberating and determining the highest leadership of PBNU, particularly the position of Rais Aam.

CNNIndonesia.com observed at the location that the boxes are placed in a room with a door and dark glass windows, directly in front of the house of KH Abdul Rozaq Sholeh, also known as Gus Rozaq, Chairman of the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School Foundation in Tambakberas, Jombang. At least six glass boxes are stored inside the room. The boxes are monitored continuously via CCTV cameras.

In addition, 15 members of the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School’s Security Response Inspection Unit (Sigap) are guarding outside the room in shifts around the clock. Mohammad Nuh, Rais Syuriah of PBNU and Secretary of the Steering Committee of the 35th NU Congress, said the Ahwa name proposals had been submitted by NU Regional Boards (PWNU), NU Branch Boards (PCNU), and NU Special Branch Boards (PCINU) since the start of the congress participant registration process.

The proposals are the result of deliberations at the PWNU, PCNU, and PCINU levels conducted before departure to the congress venue. “So, from there, when they registered yesterday, their proposals were immediately submitted,” Nuh said on Saturday (29/8).

Nuh stressed that the proposal documents may not be opened until the time specified in the congress agenda. Therefore, the boxes are stored in a place deemed safe and free from suspicion by any party. “But this cannot be opened yet. So, for the sake of security, transparency, and so on, it is certainly stored in a safe place, where there is no suspicion,” he said.

He revealed that the boxes cannot be opened and closed at will. To access their contents, the containers must be broken or completely dismantled. “The boxes do not use locks. Because if there were a lock, people would think, ‘you hold the key, you will open it later,’ and so on. There is no key. So later it will be opened by breaking it, forced open,” he said.

Nuh explained the reason the boxes were placed in front of Gus Rozaq’s house. According to him, the glass room at that location allows anyone to see the condition of the boxes directly, in addition to being guarded by officers and monitored by CCTV. “It is placed in front of Gus Rozaq’s house, where there is a glass room so that anyone can see, it is guarded, and there is CCTV. So it is guaranteed to be safe,” he said.

He emphasised the importance of securing the documents given that the Ahwa has the authority to select the Rais Aam of PBNU, who will then give his blessing to the elected chairman. “Because the Ahwa selects the Rais Aam. The Ahwa will select the Rais Aam, and the Rais Aam will then give his blessing to the chairman,” he said.

Nuh said the Ahwa process must be properly safeguarded because the outcome of that mechanism will determine the legitimacy of NU’s leadership going forward. The proposal documents containing the names of kiai candidates for Ahwa members will later be opened and tabulated ahead of the Plenary Session to determine Ahwa members.

Under the applicable mechanism, each PWNU, PCNU, and PCINU proposes nine names of kiai or ulama deemed worthy of joining the Ahwa, and all proposals are then collected and counted through a tabulation process. The nine names with the most votes from the tabulation results will then be determined by the Congress as Ahwa members, before deliberating to determine the Rais Aam of PBNU for the 2026-2031 period.