he Vice Presidential Palace said Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s involvement in the legal debate over his right to run for reelection in 2019 was to find legal certainty and not for his personal interests.
Kalla has been in the spotlight following his decision to request that the Constitutional Court give him a say in a hearing on a judicial review petition filed by the United Indonesia Party (Perindo) to pave the way for Kalla to run for vice president for a third time.
“Pak JK is aware of the ongoing discussion [about his nomination as a vice presidential candidate]. But he has to face the situation. He is seeking legal certainty, so that it will not cause polemic in the future, since the Constitutional Court ruling is final and binding,” Vice Presidential Palace spokesperson Husain Abdullah told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“So this is not for his personal interests, but for the sake of the nation’s future,” Husain emphasized.
The court is handling a judicial review of Article 169 of the 2017 Election Law, which prohibits a president or vice president from seeking a third term in office, regardless of whether they held office for two consecutive terms. Perindo, as the petitioner, claimed that the Constitution banned candidates from seeking a third term only if they held the position for two consecutive terms.
Kalla served as vice president from 2002 to 2009. He was elected to the position for a second time in 2014.
The former Golkar Party leader has been touted as one of the most viable figures to be paired with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the upcoming race due to his enormous experience as a politician and government official, his well-established network with key figures in the country’s political and business sectors and influence over Islamic groups that many believe would benefit Jokowi.
Political expert Asrinaldi from Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, said it would be easy for Jokowi to win the election if he ran again with Kalla. “[Jokowi-Kalla] has successfully developed the infrastructure sector. People will find it difficult to find their weakness,” Asrinaldi said. (ahw)
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