Indonesian Constitutional Court Denies Requests to Alter Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidate Eligibility Rules
An Indonesian court on Monday rejected several petitions seeking to change eligibility rules for presidential and vice presidential candidates, complicating a widely anticipated bid by the incumbent leader’s son to run on an election ticket next year.
The ruling comes amid growing criticism about the deepening of dynastic politics in the world’s third-largest democracy, and the outgoing president, Joko Widodo, efforts retain influence after he steps down next year.
Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who is the president’s brother-in-law and leads a panel of nine judges, rejected petitions to lower the minimum age to 35 from 40 and to allow anyone with civil service experience to run for president and vice president.
The judges said determining the age limit was up to lawmakers and that the petition had no “reasoning according to law”.
The court’s decision comes just days before candidates are expected to officially register in the country 2024 elections, and amid widespread speculation the president’s eldest son, Surakarta city mayor, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, will join as the vice-presidential running mate of Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto.
Gibran did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Southeast Asian nation is set to vote in simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on February 14, 2024. Prabowo is neck-and-neck in opinion polls with Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, while ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan is a distant third.
Presidential candidates and their running mates are expected to formally register with the elections commission between October 19-25.
