The House of Representatives and the government are set to begin formal deliberations next week on a bill that will allow president-elect Prabowo Subianto to build a bigger cabinet once he assumes office.

Alice Leal Guo, a former mayor of a town north of the capital Manila, has been on the run since she was linked to a Chinese-run online gambling center where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has received an order from outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for the formation of a fourth armed service, dubbed a cyber force, to deal with cyber threats, but discussions at the legislature are projected to resume only after the new administration assumes office.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is set to summon Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, regarding his use of a private jet following intense scrutiny of his recent lavish trip to the United States.

The government postponed the relocation of civil servants to the country’s future capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan from its initial plan this September, citing the need to complete the housing complexes and digital infrastructure first to ensure a smooth transition.

Experts are unconvinced that the extended candidate registration deadline in more than a dozen regions facing uncontested regional elections will result in new names signing up to compete against the strongly backed existing candidates.

Nominees for the Jakarta gubernatorial election have started their campaigns early by going around the city and sharing their platforms with the people over the weekend despite not yet being cleared to run by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

The General Elections Commission (KPU) is set to reopen registration for regional head races this week in areas where only one candidate pair has signed up, in an effort to prevent uncontested elections in the upcoming November polls.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto has played down rumors of rift between him and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and discord within his Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), striking a note of unity after a constitutional controversy elicited widespread protests in recent weeks.

The candidacies of Khofifah, Risma and Luluk were hailed as “historic progress” in Indonesia’s patriarchal society and an indication that the nation is now more open to women occupying leadership roles in local government.

Rumors were circulating on Thursday, the last day of candidate registration for the upcoming regional elections, that the PDI-P would nominate Anies for governor of West Java, but the party instead backed an in-house candidate pair.

A member of the House of Representatives demanded an explanation from the Religious Affairs Ministry on unplanned variations in the departure dates of haj pilgrims.

Social media users have increasingly used Mulyono to refer to the President in recent days to register their discontent with his efforts to secure lasting, dynastic influence in the government, political parties and state institutions.

Public pressure is mounting on the Jakarta Police to conclude its graft investigation into former KPK chief Firli Bahuri amid the antigraft body's ongoing leadership selection, following nine months of sluggish progress since he was named as a suspect November 2023.

Registration for November’s regional elections drew to a close on Thursday with some political parties pivoting away from the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) to nominate their own candidates, after a court ruling enabled individual parties and small electoral groupings to nominate candidates independently of the alliance of president-elect Prabowo Subianto and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

A viral symbol of mass disobedience, the "Peringatan darurat” (emergency warning), became one of the biggest factors driving thousands of students, activists, labor groups and public figures to rally in Jakarta and numerous cities last week.

Gerindra Party politician Ahmad Riza Patria and his running mate Marshel Widianto, a comedian, have withdrawn their candidacies in the South Tangerang, Banten, mayoral race after the party decided to instead back incumbent Benyamin Davnie, who has already received support from some of Gerindra’s partners in the February presidential election.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has, once again, postponed his planned relocation to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, saying that he will wait for the future capital’s airport to be up and running first.

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman has filed an appeal against a Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) ruling on his dismissal from the court’s top seat.

Celebrated on taking office in 2014 for his humble roots and lack of ties to Indonesia's elites, Jokowi has faced wider scrutiny in recent years as critics accuse him of building his own political dynasty, a claim he has denied. 

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has opted to nominate a candidate from its own party for Jakarta governor, effectively barring former governor Anies Baswedan from seeking reelection in the city this year.

As potential candidates register their candidacy with the local and regional offices of the General Elections Commission (KPU), concerns linger that dozens, if not hundreds, of regions will see uncontested races in the November regional elections because of the high nomination threshold for candidates and political parties.

The National Police are facing mounting pressure from civil groups over their alleged use of excessive force that resulted in dozens being injured and detained in recent protests against lawmakers’ interference with regional election rules.

The Presidential Office has denied speculation of a conflict between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and president-elect Prabowo Subianto stemming from remarks the two politicians made that appeared to refer to a recent controversy over regional election rules.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo remarked in a recorded statement on Tuesday that the House of Representatives should also expedite the deliberation of the assets forfeiture bill, which has been on hold for more than a decade, as the legislature was able to rush the revision of the Regional Elections Law.

Scores of social media users have started referring to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo by his birth name Mulyono, amid growing opposition to the outgoing leader, who is believed to be behind the country’s backsliding democracy.

The extension would be in line with a KPU regulation enacted on Sunday on rules and processes for regional head candidates. 

The Golkar Party has backed away from the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) in the Banten gubernatorial election to nominate a separate candidate, following a recent court ruling that has made more parties eligible to nominate candidates either individually or in smaller alliances.

The former Jakarta governor has reportedly obtained three court documents necessary to contest the regional head elections, although he is yet to gain formal backing from a political party as required for the candidate registration period that runs from Aug. 27 to 29.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is mounting a challenge to the dominance of the Gerindra Party-led Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) in key battleground regions as the hours tick to the start of the candidate registration on Tuesday.