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Dismay as top court revises regional election rules
The court swiftly approved a petition calling for the 30-year age limit to be revised, at a time when political parties are testing the waters on who to field as November election candidates.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (center) stands with First Lady Iriana (second right), son Gibran Rakabuming (right), daughter Kahiyang Ayu (left) and Kaesang Pangarep (second left) on Oct. 20, 2014, for an unofficial portrait of the First Family at the Jakarta governor's residence, shortly before the official inauguration at the House of Representatives. (AFP/Ramdani)
The Supreme Court’s decision this week to approve changes to the age restrictions for candidates in the 2024 regional elections has sparked fresh fears of political interference in the judiciary, amid speculation that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s son may run in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial race.
The court swiftly approved a petition by minnow party Garuda calling for the 30-year age minimum to be revised, at a time when several political parties are testing the waters on who to field for the November elections.
Among the names that have been floated is that of 29-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who would not have been eligible to run before the recent ruling.
On Wednesday, the court ordered the General Elections Commission (KPU) to overturn a 2020 rule stipulating that candidates running for governor or deputy governor must be 30 by the time they are cleared to run.
Instead, the justices pushed back the timeline, ruling that candidates must be 30 by the time they are inaugurated.
“It is so that Indonesia can be led by youngsters,” a Garuda spokesperson said, as quoted by Reuters.
The ruling coincided with the buzz around Kaesang, who appeared on a mock poster posted on social media by a top Gerindra Party official as a potential running mate for lawmaker Budisatrio Djiwandono in the Jakarta election.
