The Constitutional Court of Indonesia dismissed a complaint on Monday that sought to lower the age requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates to 35, closing one door to President Joko Widodo’s son running for office in the upcoming election.
The president’s 36-year-old son may be able to run for vice president after the court on Monday issued decisions in six other cases. According to insiders, the first decision comes amid mounting criticism of the outgoing president’s alleged attempts to create a political dynasty and maintain power after leaving office.
On February 14 of the next year, voters in the third-largest democracy in the world will cast ballots in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.
In surveys, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto are tied for first place, while former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is a distant third.
The first petition to decrease the minimum age to 35 from 40 was denied by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, the brother-in-law of President Jokowi, who presides over a panel of nine justices.
The justices ruled that parliament should set the age restriction and that the petition lacked “reasoning according to la.”.
If approved, the petition would have given the Mayor of Surakarta and Son of President Jokowi, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the opportunity to compete in the February election, most likely as Prabowo’s running partner.
Requests for feedback from Gibran did not immediately receive a response. Last week, Jokowi dismissed concerns about mounting claims that he is creating a political dynasty by asserting that the people should be allowed to choose their leaders.
Between October 19 and 25, presidential contenders and their running mates are anticipated to register with the elections commission formally.
