Indonesia president says he respects institutions amid power struggle over court ruling

JAKARTA – Indonesia President Joko Widodo on Aug 21 said he respected decisions of the country’s institutions amid a move by his allies in Parliament to try to reverse a court decision that changed the qualification criteria for regional elections.

His remarks come during a rare power struggle between Indonesia’s Parliament and the judiciary, with legislators allied with Mr Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto seeking to roll back a court decision on Aug 20 that could allow one of their biggest critics to run for the high-profile post of Jakarta governor in the elections in November.

Parties backing Mr Prabowo and Mr Widodo on Aug 19 closed ranks to back a single candidate, Mr Ridwan Kamil, effectively killing off the popular Mr Anies Baswedan’s chances of being re-elected to the post he has held from 2017-2022, with no other party holding enough seats to nominate him.

Mr Ridwan, the former governor of Indonesia’s most populous province of West Java, was once on Mr Prabowo’s campaign team.

But the Constitutional Court on Aug 20 significantly lowered the minimum percentage of seats required for a nomination,

potentially opening the door for Mr Anies to run

.

Mr Widodo said he respects decisions of independent bodies in the system of government.

“That’s a constitutional process that happens all the time in our institutions,” he said when asked about the court ruling and lawmakers seeking to reverse it.

The latest political drama comes during a transition period in which Mr Prabowo has been racing to consolidate power ahead of his presidency,

having won the election by a massive margin

, aided by Mr Widodo’s tacit backing, popularity and huge political sway after a decade in charge.

Mr Prabowo, 72, last week secured a parliamentary majority, and Mr Widodo has been helping to smooth the way for him, in what is widely seen as a quid-pro-quo that will allow the outgoing leader to retain influence once he makes way.

The court on Aug 20 also maintained the minimum age requirement of 30 for candidates contesting an election, which would make Mr Widodo’s 29-year-old son, Mr Kaesang Pangarep, ineligible for an upcoming regional contest. Lawmakers have also sought to alter that requirement.

Mr Kaesang has been widely tipped as a potential deputy governor for the province of Central Java. Mr Widodo’s eldest son, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was Mr Prabowo’s running mate and

will be vice-president in October

.

The move to thwart Mr Anies, a former academic who lost to Mr Prabowo in the presidential election, was seen by some analysts as a play to deny him a platform to seek the post again in 2029.

Mr Anies has accused Mr Prabowo and the Widodo administration of colluding to give his rival an unfair advantage, which they deny. REUTERS