A proposal to tweak the current format of the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections has taken center stage in a series of meetings at the House of Representatives over the past two weeks, with elections and democracy experts advocating for separate elections.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has refuted rumors that it had found indications that State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir and his brother Gariibaldi “Boy” Thohir were involved in corruption-ridden fuel imports at state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina.

The current deliberations mark the second time in a year that the House has attempted to alter the TNI Law.

During a cabinet-wide meeting and iftar event, President Prabowo Subianto ordered ministers and state agency heads to expedite the rollout of some populist policies in the education and local economy sectors, ranging from Sekolah Rakyat to village cooperatives for rural economic development.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is working on a new policy that aims to reduce overlaps between various ministries and state institutions on the implementation of the free nutritious meal program, while also looking to deal with potential impacts of the large-scale rollout.

The arrest of a loyal aide to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has raised questions about who will be her choice for the vacant position of secretary-general of the only de facto opposition party ahead of its congress.

The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has warned that the potential of vote buying could increase ahead of the upcoming revote ordered by the Constitutional Court for the regional head elections in dozens of regions.

The South Jakarta District Court postponed on Monday hearings for two pretrial motions filed by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto until next week following a request from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which is currently investigating Hasto for alleged bribery and obstruction of justice.

The Constitutional Court-ordered revote for regional head elections in dozens of regions across the country is being hindered by a limited budget, with the General Elections Commission (KPU) scrambling to solve the financing issue amid scrutiny from lawmakers and the government’s sweeping austerity measures.

Pertamina president director Simon Aloysius Mantiri has made a first public apology for the state-owned oil and gas giant’s graft-ridden import scandal, as he promised to clean up the company and allow third-party product quality testing in a bid to restore public trust.

KRI Bung Hatta is the second ship in the Bung Karno class of corvettes built by a private shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands.

Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a former president commissioner of state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina, has alleged that more people are involved in the firm’s fuel import scandal than have been publicly identified and that he would be eager to cooperate with investigators to rid the oil and gas sector of corruption.

A plan floated by President Prabowo Subianto to place representatives of religious organizations on the advisory board of the newly launched sovereign wealth fund Danantara has garnered mixed reactions, with analysts warning it could be an attempt to dampen public criticism of the controversial fund.

The Supreme Court has slapped Karen Galaila Agustiawan with an additional graft charge and increased her sentence by four years to 13, in relation to overseas LNG purchases between 2001 and 2021 that cost the state over $100 million.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) will file a lawsuit against energy giant Pertamina and its subsidiaries to ensure compensation for consumers potentially affected by the allegedly low-quality gasoline that was sold as premium fuel.

President Prabowo Subianto emphasized his Asta Cita (Eight goals) core mission, which will fully utilize each region’s potential in boosting regional competitiveness and economic growth.  

The bill, which has been languishing in the legislature for more than 14 years, has been placed on a list of top priority bills for 2025 called the Prolegnas.

The Constitutional Court found Villages and Regional Development Minister Yandri Susanto guilty of abusing his ministerial authority to help his wife win a regental poll in Banten during the 2024 simultaneous regional elections.

The week-long retreat for newly inaugurated regional leaders is expected to wrap up on Feb. 28 with President Prabowo Subianto expected to deliver a speech as part of an effort to build synergy between central government and regional administrations.

Growing public distrust of the newly formed sovereign wealth fund, Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara), has sparked online discussions on switching banks and cash withdrawals, leading analysts to debate the actual risks of a potential bank run or the ensuing economic crisis.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto calls for fellow party members and sympathizers to stand strong amid the ongoing legal investigation against him pertaining to the bribery of a former General Elections Commission (KPU) member.

Plaintiffs argue that the national legislature should stick to the law in performing its duty in monitoring and supervising state and judiciary institutions.

The President has vowed to crack down on corruption in the oil and gas industry after the AGO detained several executives, including the president director of a Pertamina subsidiary, as suspects in an ongoing case pertaining to fuel imports.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is investigating the possible involvement of oil tycoon Riza Chalid in a graft scheme involving fuel imports at subsidiaries of state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina that allegedly cost the country nearly US$12 billion.

The President said that AHY still has a long political career ahead of him and that he could potentially lead the nation by the time Indonesia becomes the world’s fourth biggest economy in 25 years time, according to a projection by investment banking company Goldman Sachs.

PDI-P spokesperson Ahmad Basarah said the perceived tension between the two politicians could be blamed on people who attempted to drive a wedge between them.

“Investigators will detain the seven suspects for the next 20 days, starting from Feb. 24,” Jampidsus director of investigations Abdul Qohar said at a press briefing late on Monday night.

Coordinating Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono was reelected chairman of the Democratic Party by acclamation on Monday, extending his expected tenure in the position to a decade.

Accompanied by fellow PDI-P member and Yogyakarta mayor Hasto Wardoyo, Pramono told journalists that he was “grateful for the government’s patience” and that “we were only able to join the retreat today”.

President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party was the top choice for party switching ahead of the gubernatorial races in November of last year, largely because of its increasing dominance in national politics, a study has found.