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Thousands of people in Indonesia have come together to protest against their government’s efforts to overturn a ruling by the constitutional court, which would allow candidates from smaller parties to challenge them in elections.
Demonstrators have assembled outside the parliament building in the capital city, Jakarta, as well as in other major cities like Padang, Bandung, and Yogyakarta.
On Wednesday, Indonesia’s highest court decided that political parties would not require a minimum of 20% representation in their regional assemblies to put forward a candidate. However, within 24 hours, parliament introduced an emergency motion to reverse this ruling, an action that has led to widespread criticism and concerns about a potential constitutional crisis.
The swiftly processed legislation, which will undo parts of the court’s ruling, is anticipated to be passed later on Thursday. It would preserve the current system, which benefits parties in the ruling coalition of the outgoing president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and his successor, Prabowo Subianto. Consequently, many local elections are expected to become uncontested.
The parliamentary decision also implies that a prominent government critic, Anies Baswedan, would be barred from standing for the powerful position of Jakarta governor. The Indonesian government is also seeking ways to bypass the constitutional court’s ruling to maintain the existing minimum age limit of 30 for candidates, which would prevent Widodo’s 29-year-old son, Kaesang Pangarep, from competing in a regional election in Central Java.
Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the incoming vice president who ran on a ticket with Prabowo. Analysts suggest that the power struggle between Indonesia’s parliament, which is heavily influenced by Widodo’s supporters, and the country’s constitutional court could trigger a political crisis.
However, Widodo has downplayed the conflict, claiming that the amendments were part of the “checks and balances” within the government. One of the protesters, Joko Anwar, said the nation’s leaders seemed determined to cling to power. “Eventually, we’ll just become a powerless mass of objects, even though we’re the ones who gave them power,” he said. “We have to take to the streets. We have no choice,” he added.
On social media, blue posters featuring the words “Emergency Warning” above Indonesia’s symbolic national eagle have been widely circulated. According to Titi Anggraini, an elections analyst at the University of Indonesia, the parliamentary move to overturn the court’s decision is unconstitutional. “This is a robbery of the constitution,” she told BBC Indonesian.
NANCY MBAMALU
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