Fears for Indonesia democracy as Jokowi's son gets VP election pathway in 'plot twist' move by court

The Indonesian Constitutional Court on Monday rejected several petitions seeking to lower the age limit of presidential and vice-presidential candidates, but left a clear pathway for President Joko Widodo's eldest son to still compete in next year's election.

The controversial ruling has been seen by legal experts and observers as undemocratic, and the president's critics said it showed Widodo is attempting to build his own political dynasty as he exits office.

The court initially rejected petitions to lower the minimum age to 35 from 40 on Monday morning. But in an unexpected twist, the court ruled it was in favour of opening up the electoral race to candidates under 40 who have served as "regional leaders" in an afternoon session.

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This means Widodo's eldest son, 36-year-old Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is eligible to run in February's legislative and presidential elections. Gibran, the mayor of Surakarta city, has for months been touted as a popular choice as the running mate for leading presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

"This decision truly shows how Indonesian democracy is on the decline," said Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a political analyst with the Jakarta-based National Research and Innovation Agency. "There are always ways that the ruling elites are able to bypass laws in their favour."

"This new ruling will be a big surprise for Indonesia's democracy activists, who were relieved after this morning's announcement," Wasisto said.

Observers had been particularly concerned about the results of the ruling, as the court making the decision is led by Widodo's brother-in-law, Chief Justice Anwar Usman.

Anwar and a panel of nine judges initially said the age limit had to be determined by lawmakers and that the petition had no "reasoning according to law".

But Wasisto said there had been a strong reason for caution despite the early ruling, as there were still potential avenues the courts could use that would have enabled Gibran's participation in the election.

Yoes C. Kenawas, a research fellow from Atma Jaya Catholic University, called the court's decision a "plot twist".

"The dynasty playbook is still there. This is the first time in Indonesia's history where we could see a family member of a sitting president running in the subsequent election," said Yoes, who researches dynastic politics. "This is not good for Indonesia's democracy, I think [it could be] a bad precedent."

The court's ruling comes just three days before candidates are set to formally register with the election commission.

Outgoing President Widodo - with his continually high public approval ratings - has largely been seen as the kingmaker of the 2024 presidential election, but is yet to officially endorse a candidate.

For now, opinion polls show Defence Minister Prabowo is neck and neck with former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is from the same party as Widodo. Ex-Jakarta governor and opposition figure Anies Baswedan has been falling behind at third place.

Over the weekend, Widodo's informal volunteer network, Projo, endorsed Prabowo as its top candidate - in what observers view as the strongest signal of the incumbent leader's support.

But observers say Widodo - known popularly as Jokowi - has been playing a delicate balancing act over the past year in his support for the top two contenders for the presidency.

As he exits office after finishing his two-term limit, Widodo, who does not come from a family with a background in politics, might be considering how best to build his own nascent dynasty.

"Although Prabowo and Ganjar are presenting themselves as 'Jokowi's men', in reality, nobody is actually Jokowi's man unless they are related to him by blood or marriage," Yoes said.

"That's the only guarantee you can have if you want someone to continue your legacy in the long term," he said, underscoring the importance for Widodo to ensure his sons were embedded firmly into the country's political scene.

"[Widodo] does not come from an oligarchic family, nor does he have his own political party," Yoes added. "Right now, he can rely on his position as president, and on the volunteer groups who support him, but he still needs to find a way to ensure his legacy goes on."

Besides Gibran, Widodo's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep, 28, was recently appointed head of the Indonesian Solidarity Party and Widodo's son-in-law Bobby Nasution holds the position of mayor in the city of Medan.

Last week, Widodo shrugged off criticisms that he was planning to build a political dynasty, stating that the choice of leader should be up to the people.

While observers and activists are cautious of Widodo's attempts at patronage politics, many of his voters "might not see this as something bad", Yoes added.

"Indonesian voters are not necessarily rejecting dynastic politics," he said. "For leaders like Widodo who have really strong public support, they can use this to their advantage, saying that a continued dynasty will bring stability and continuity."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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