On Friday, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, university students Adam Imam Hamdana, Wianda Julita Maharani and Adinia Ulva Maharani, who filed a petition for a judicial review of Article 426 in the 2017 General Elections Law, which allows legislators-elect to resign and be replaced with their party’s candidate that won the next largest number of votes.

The plaintiffs argued that the arbitrary resignation of an elected legislator was “a betrayal of constituents who voted for them” and asked the court to set clear limitations on the provision.

The court’s nine justices ruled unanimously that legislators-elect may not quit for the purpose of running for another public office. Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra, while reading out the ruling at Friday’s hearing, said the restriction was intended “to uphold the principle of the people’s sovereignty as conducted through direct elections”.

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The ruling said an exception could be made in the case of officials appointed to a nonelected position at a state institution.

“A resignation is only justified if the [individual] is appointed to an official post, such as a minister, ambassador or other appointed public positions,” Justice Arsul Sani told the hearing.