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Calls grow for KPU to abide to court rulings on elections law
Gerindra says it has dropped President's son Kaesang Pangarep nomination from Central Java race
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Demonstrators set fires amid clashes outside the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Aug. 22, 2024 during a protest against a move to reverse the Constitutional Court's decision altering eligibility rules for candidates in regional elections later this year. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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alls are growing for the General Elections Commission (KPU) to showcase its commitment to the Constitutional Court, after the House of Representatives sought to undercut the court’s changes to the Regional Elections Law, in order to favor the alliance of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto.
Tensions came to a head after lawmakers allied with President Jokowi and president-elect Prabowo rushed through draft legislation on Wednesday that would annul two recent rulings issued by the Constitution Court, which maintained age limits and took steps to ensure more competitive races in November regional head elections.
The power struggle between the House and the Constitutional Court sparked anger across the nation, with a wave of protests erupting on Thursday in multiple major cities in defense of the judicial institution and in protest against what demonstrators described as a move designed to hobble any opposition to the ruling coalition.
Amid the widespread protests, the House canceled its plan to pass a controversial bill designed to stymie the court ruling on Thursday evening, citing a lack of quorum during its plenary session earlier that day and the insufficient time to hold another plenary before the opening of registration for the November elections on Aug. 27.
The House’s decision to scrap its plans to reverse the Constitutional Court’s decision, however, might not put an end to the public discontent, with suspicions lingering that lawmakers may still try to pass the legislation before the two-day registration for the gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates begins.
“Simply declaring that the passage of the regional elections bill was canceled did not immediately solve the problems that have arisen. There is still a chance the bill could be discussed again,” said Khoirunisa Nur Agustyati, executive director of election watchdog the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem).
Moreover, “the reason behind the cancellation of the bill’s deliberation that was conveyed was because they failed to reach a quorum in the plenary session and because it was already too close to the registration date, not because of their awareness that we must uphold the Constitution,” Khoirunisa told The Jakarta Post.
