JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Ratification of Indonesia’s electoral law changes was halted Thursday after thousands of protesters occupied the road outside Parliament, some trying to storm the building.
If these changes are implemented, Outgoing President Joko Widodo It has been criticised for potentially undermining Indonesia’s nascent democracy.
Parliament held an emergency session on Thursday to overturn a ruling by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on election procedures and amend another decision, but then rescinded ratification after outdoor protests prevented parliament from reaching a quorum.
“It has been stated that the amendments to the local election law cannot be implemented. This means that the amendments to the local election law will not be implemented today,” Deputy Speaker Sukhumi Dasko Ahmad told reporters in Jakarta.
Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters who tried to storm the parliament building after tearing down part of the fence and hurling stones at police. Protesters occupied the road in front of the building, some holding banners and placards, while others lit fires and burned tires.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday rejected a challenge to age restrictions that bar anyone under 30 from running for local governorship, preventing President Widodo’s youngest son, 29-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, from running in local elections in Central Java province.
The Supreme Court also made it easier for political parties to nominate candidates by relaxing the requirement for them to hold 20 percent of local councils.
The Legislature passed an emergency motion Wednesday to change the minimum age for gubernatorial inauguration to 30 and further relax nomination requirements, and was scheduled to ratify the changes during its plenary session on Thursday.
The move sparked widespread condemnation on social media and raised concerns about a possible constitutional crisis, forcing Parliament to halt passage of the bill due to a lack of a quorum.
President Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, began his second and final five-year term in October 2019 but is not eligible for re-election. He is due to step down in October.
Following the court’s ruling, President Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will become the next vice president. Exceptions to the age limit The decision was made when Anwar Usman, the brother-in-law of President Widodo, was the Supreme Court’s chief justice. Later fired.
Activists, students, workers, Indonesian celebrities and musicians took part in Thursday’s protests to voice concerns about Indonesia’s democracy.
Protests were also reported in other major cities, including Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Makassar.
At least 1,000 protesters rallied in front of the Parliament building, the Provincial Palace and the city’s ceremonial center in Yogyakarta. Their demands included the rejection of the local elections bill, respect for the Constitutional Court’s ruling and rejection of political dynasties.
Yoes Kenawas, a political analyst at Atma Jaya Catholic University, said the simultaneous protests in major cities reflected anger over parliament’s efforts to overturn a Constitutional Court decision that allowed more candidates to stand in local elections.
“They also opposed the hereditary politics pursued by President Jokowi,” Kenawas said.
