TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDIP announced several gubernatorial candidate names it will support in the upcoming regional head elections. PDIP Secretary General, Hasto Kristiyanto, said the party announced six pairings of gubernatorial and deputy gubernatorial candidates today, including for Jambi, Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands, Bali, Central Papua, and South Papua.

"For Jakarta, we are awaiting the decision of the General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri," said Hasto at the PDIP Central Leadership Board office on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

Hasto was mum on whether PDIP would back Anies Baswedan in the Jakarta regional election. Previously, a member of the DPR Legislative Body from the PDIP faction, Masinton Pasaribu, said his party would nominate Anies.

Masinton said PDIP would nominate regional head candidates based on the Constitutional Court’s ruling instead of the decision taken by the DPR working committee on the Regional Head Election Bill.

"On August 27, if PDIP nominates Anies Baswedan, we will secure the way to KPU Jakarta together. We are applying the Constitutional Court decision,” he said.

On August 21, the DPR Legislative Body attempted to overturn two court rulings on the requirements for regional head election candidacy. The first decision concerned the regional election threshold for participating political parties and party coalitions. Meanwhile, the second decision concerned the age requirement to run in the regional election.

DPR decided to annul both decisions and circumvent them by revising Article 40 of the Regional Election Law to allow only political parties of non-DPRD seat holders the 6.5 to 10 percent of valid votes as the threshold to nominate a candidate.

Additionally, the DPR Legislative Body also revises Article 7 paragraph 2 letter e to enforce the 30-year-old age limit for gubernatorial candidates in time for inauguration instead of registration.

A working committee member from the PDIP faction, Muhamad Nurdin, said DPR’s decision to circumvent the Constitutional Court ruling could set a bad precedent. According to him, no country can intervene in the decision of its highest legal institution, including political institutions such as the parliament. The Top Court ruling, he said, is final and binding.

"The Constitutional Court, both in its decision and considerations, has ruled in detail and clearly without the need for reinterpretation," said the PDIP politician.

ANDI ADAM FATURAHMAN

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