Jakarta – Indonesia's election body secured Parliament's nod on Aug 25 to issue new rules in line with demands from protesters, who have been furious over an attempt by allies of outgoing President Joko Widodo to change eligibility requirements in their favour.
Demonstrations flared up in several Indonesian cities last week as anger mounted over what critics of Mr Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, say is an attempt to further consolidate his power as he prepares to make way for successor Prabowo Subianto in October.
The new rules will adopt a decision by the Constitutional Court on Aug 20, which upheld the minimum age of 30 for candidates by the time of nomination and clauses that made it easier for parties to make nominations, the election body's acting chief Mochammad Afifuddin said.
"We are thankful that we can speed up (the consultation process with Parliament), as it will give more room for us to prepare the nomination process," he said, referring to the registration of regional leader candidates starting on Aug 27.
Parliament had started discussions late last year to revise the regional election laws but decided to speed it up earlier this week, following the Constitutional Court's decision.
The policy shift opens the door for Mr Prabowo's presidential election rival Anies Baswedan to be nominated for Jakarta governor, a post he held from 2017 to 2022, but also means Mr Widodo's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep cannot run in regional polls.
On Aug 25, the election body attended a hearing with the parliamentary commission overseeing election issues to secure the lawmakers' approval before issuing the new rules.
Law minister Supratman Andi Agtas said during the same hearing that the government will help to speed up the process to issue the new regulations.
The labour party was scheduled to protest again on Aug 25, demanding the election body issue the new rules soon.
The popularity and outsized influence of Mr Widodo after a decade in charge was instrumental in Mr Prabowo winning February's election by a big margin, in what was widely seen as a quid pro quo to ensure the outgoing leader retains a political stake long after he leaves office.