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ozens of members of legislative institutions across the country put their law-making jobs at stake when they signed up as candidates in the upcoming regional head elections, slated to be held simultaneously on Dec. 9.

Members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) must leave their jobs to run as regional head candidates after the Constitutional Court issued last month a ruling stipulating that members of legislative bodies must resign from their positions after local election organizers officiate their regional head candidacies.

The ruling, issued just three weeks before the opening of registration for political party-endorsed regional head candidates, however, has not discouraged many lawmakers and councilors from running as regional head candidates.

Central Java Elections Commission (KPUD) data, for example, reveals that 27 members of legislative bodies had signed up to contest 21 local elections in the province by July 28, the final day of the registration period.

Among the aspiring candidates are Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Hamid Noor Yasin, who registered his candidacy for the Wonogiri election, Central Java Legislative Council (DPRD) councilor Asif Kholibi, who signed up for the Pekalongan election, and Klaten DPRD councilor Sunarto, who has been nominated as a deputy regent candidate in Klaten.

'€œAccording to KPU Regulation No. 12/2015, members of legislative bodies also must submit a letter stating his or her willingness to resign from their respective legislative institutions when they register their regional head candidacy with the KPUD,'€ KPUD head Joko Purnomo told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Joko said the politicians must wait until the General Election Commission (KPU) announced the final status of their candidacies on Aug. 24 before submitting their official resignation letter to their respective legislative institutions.

The current members of legislative bodies were elected in last year'€™s legislative elections and are supposed to serve until 2019.

National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Asif said he was ready to resign from his legislative post. He said he would submit his resignation once the KPUD confirmed his nomination for the election.

'€œPolitics is a personal choice. I am ready to resign and leave my post at the DPRD, even if I don'€™t win the election,'€ he said.

Meanwhile in Mukomuko regency, Bengkulu, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Dedy Kurniawan also announced his plan to forego his seat in the Mukomuko DPRD to run as the running mate for regent candidate Syafuan in the Mukomuko election.

'€œWe have prepared the resignation letter [for Dedy], but have yet to submit it to the DPRD and the party leadership,'€ head of the Syafuan-Dedy campaign team, Natsir Ahmad, said on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.

In Medan, North Sumatra, the city'€™s upcoming mayoral election only attracted two pairs of candidates, compared to 10 pairs five years ago.

'€œMany local councilors, who had previously put much effort into promoting their candidacies, eventually decided not to contest the mayoral election. Maybe they are afraid of losing their DPRD seats,'€ Medan KPUD member Pandapotan Tamba said.