JakartaPost-Oct 16, 2023
The Constitutional Court rejected on Monday three petitions that requested the age of candidacy for the presidential election be lowered, much to the relief of critics who feared judicial overreach and a budding political dynasty. In a 6:2 decision, with Chief Justice Anwar Usman recusing himself, the court rejected the petitions to lower the age of candidacy from 40 to 35, putting an end to an idea of allowing Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run for vice president in the 2024 election. While the 36-year-old eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had not publicly announced any interest in contesting the race, politicians backing presumptive Gerindra Party nominee Prabowo Subianto had been calling for him to choose Gibran as his running mate. Among the plaintiffs were the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which recently elected Jokowi’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep, 28, as its chair. The court also rejected two separate petitions, with one filed by the Garuda Party, which is not part of the legislature. The other was filed by a mayor and deputy regent that sought an age reduction to allow experienced senior officials and regional heads to contest the presidential election. In its decision, the court stated that maintaining the age of candidacy at 40 without exception was “not discriminatory”. It also said the Constitutional Court “does not deal with matters that fall under the authority of policymakers”, such as determining age requirements or exceptions. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2023/10/16/breaking-constitutional-court-upholds-minimum-age-for-president-vp-candidates.html.
