The ruling allows political parties without DPRD seats to nominate candidate pairs. The court determined that the number of valid votes in a region will solely determine the eligibility of political parties or coalitions to propose candidates.
"We have partially granted the petitioners' request," Chief Justice Suhartoyo announced in the Constitutional Court's Plenary Courtroom on Tuesday, while reading the decision in a case brought by the Labor Party and Gelora Party.
In the petition, the Labor Party was represented by its president Said Iqbal and secretary-general Ferri Nurzali. The Gelora Party was represented by its general chairperson Muhammad Anis Matta and secretary-general Mahfuz Sidik.
The new thresholds will be based on a province's or district's voter population, and will range from 6.5 percent to 10 percent.
Aditya Perdana, a political science lecturer at the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP UI), noted that the Constitutional Court's decision will alter the political landscape in several regions.
The ruling is also expected to create new opportunities for regional head candidates who had previously given up hope of securing a party nomination. Further, the court's decision could allow such candidates to find parties willing to support their bids.
"Due to the prevalence of large coalitions, many candidates have faced limited opportunities," he noted.
According to him, the Constitutional Court decision will not only have an impact on candidates such as Anies Baswedan or the PDIP, who were left by the large coalition in the Jakarta election, but will also create broad political movements and dynamics for candidates who have not had a chance in existing coalition building.
PDI Perjuangan DPP chairperson Eriko Sotarduga described the ruling changing the threshold for regional head nominations as a breath of fresh air and new hope for his party to take part in the 2024 Jakarta Pilkada contest.
"This morning we got a breath of fresh air, got a new hope, of course, we are fighting," he said at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, another PDIP elite, Deddy Sitorus, welcomed the change in regulations that will allow more political parties to nominate their candidates in the 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada.
"The MK ruling must be seen as a victory against the oligarchy of political parties who want to hijack democracy and people's sovereignty with an empty box strategy," he said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"This ruling must be viewed positively because it ensures the presence of more than one pair of candidates in the regional and provincial elections. The more candidates, the more choices of candidate leaders that the people can consider," he added.
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Translator: Fath Putra Mulya, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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