Breaking News: DPR Suspends Plenary Session to Ratify Regional Election Pilkada Bill

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) has postponed the plenary session to ratify the draft law on regional elections, or Draft Pilkada. Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said the adjournment was made because the number of lawmakers present was below the quorum.

"Only 89 people were present and 87 were absent. Therefore, we will change the Bamus session to a plenary session due to lack of quorum," Dasco, who presided over the morning session, said at the DPR building on Thursday, August 22.

Dasco did not say how long the delay would last.

The DPR was supposed to pass the draft law on regional elections yesterday. The legislative body and the government had held four seven-hour sessions, and the draft was approved within a day.

The Constitutional Court (MK) issued two decisions on August 20. The first is decision number 60/PUU-XXII/2024, which changes the threshold for the nomination of the regional head from 20 percent of seats or 25 percent of valid votes, lowered based on the number of permanent voter lists (DPT).

There are four classifications of the size of the valid votes based on the decision of the MK, namely 10 percent, 8.5 percent, 7.5 percent and 6.5 percent, according to the size of the DPT in the respective area. Based on this classification, the threshold required for Jakarta is 7.5 percent of the valid votes cast. This means that the PDIP can nominate a candidate for governor in Jakarta.

But the DPR's Legislative Assembly and the administration tried to circumvent the MK's decision. The DPR included the threshold requirements in Article 40 of the draft law on regional elections. However, the DPR's working committee only agreed to the lowering of the threshold requirements for regional elections so that they would only apply to parties that do not have seats in the DPRD.

Under the draft Regional Election Law, political parties that win regional parliamentary seats will continue to use the old regional election threshold requirements. Political parties or combinations of political parties that have seats in the DPRD may register candidates if they have obtained at least 20 percent of the total number of DPRD seats or 25 percent of the cumulative valid votes in the election of DPRD members in the area concerned.

The provisions of the Pilkada Law mean that the PDIP cannot nominate a governor or deputy governor in Jakarta.

Age Limit Controversy

The MK also issued Decision No. 70/PUU-XXII/2024, which stipulates that the minimum age limit for candidates for the regional head positions is to be calculated from the time when the pairs of candidates are decided upon.

Instead of following the MK's decision, the DPR chose to follow the Supreme Court's decision number 23 P/HUM/2024, which states that the age limit of 30 years for gubernatorial candidates and 25 years for regent or mayor candidates has been changed to apply when the elected regional head is inaugurated.

The MA's decision sparked controversy as it was seen as a red carpet for Kaesang to run in the regional election. Kaesang is now 29 and will turn 30 in December 2024, four months after the registration period for candidates for regional chief and deputy regional chief opens.

The bill approved by the DPR stipulates that the minimum age for gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates is 30, and for regent and vice-regent candidates as well as mayoral and vice-mayoral candidates 25, starting from the inauguration of the elected pair. This provision automatically clears the way for Kaesang to participate in the election.

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA

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