During a visit to North Sulawesi on Saturday (March 18), Mahfud said that amending the Constitution to authorize the delay would be more exhaustive and expensive than the election delay itself.
The Central Jakarta Court earlier this month ruled that the General Election Commission (KPU) must halt the ongoing election process.
The court's decision was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the Prima Party challenging their disqualification from the 2024 general election.
"The (president's office term) expired on October 20 (2024), but because the Supreme Court or other courts instructed us to delay the election, we must amend the Constitution as the MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) or DPR (House of Representatives) could not modify the election schedule through ordinary laws," Mahfud said.
While the organization of elections is defined by election laws, the requirement for an election to take place every five years is mandated by the constitution, he said.
"Therefore, any changes to the election schedule would require a constitutional amendment," he added.
Mahfud said that with various parliamentary parties having expressed their rejection of the election delay, amending the constitution for such purposes would be impossible since the 2/3 quorum required for the deliberation to start would not be achieved.
"Hence, let us ensure that the election will not be delayed despite the Central Jakarta District Court's decision that is beyond their scope of authority," he said.
He added that any changes to the election system, including the proposed extension of office term, must occur only after the election so as not to disrupt the ongoing election process.
"Set aside (any proposed changes) for the long term and consider it again after this election. If we agree to the term extension in the future, let us consider only at that time," Mahfud remarked.
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Translator: Karel Alexander P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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