Prospective Lawsuits Must Be Local Residents Opening Opportunities For Regional Boys To Contest At The National Level

Illustrations - Posters of legislative candidates that scattered damage the scenery always occur every time before the election. (ANTARA PHOTO/Ahmad Subaidi)

JAKARTA UI's electoral law observer, Titi Anggraini, supports a lawsuit on terms of delegation to the Constitutional Court (MK) which requires a legislative candidate to be a native of the electoral district.

"If the lawsuit (about candidates who are native to the electoral district) is granted, it will provide space for local native sons and increase the opportunity for regional sons and daughters to be elected in national political contestation," he said, Sunday, March 9, 2025.

As is known, a number of students filed a lawsuit against the Election Law to the Constitutional Court. They asked the Constitutional Court to change the requirements for legislative candidates to be residents who have been domiciled in the electoral district (dapil). On the official website of the Constitutional Court, the lawsuit has been registered with case number 7/PUU-XXIII/2025.

The petitioners consisted of eight students, namely Ahmad Syarif Hidayaatuullah, Arief Nugraha Prasetyo, Samuel Raj, Alvin Fauzi Khaq, Aura Pangeran Java, Akhilla Mahendra Putra, Arya Ashfihani HA, and Isnan Surya Anggara.

Titi assessed that the sons of the native regions certainly better understand the needs of their regions, rather than candidates from outside the electoral district. This lawsuit also shows that the community views it as important about the relationship or closeness between the legislative and electoral districts they represent.

"Based on the large number of legislative candidates who do not live in their electoral districts, they are not born and also have never attended the electoral district where they are nominated. In essence, these students want the DPR and DPRD candidates as well as the DPD candidates who must live in the electoral district or province where they run as they have decided in the Constitutional Court Decision No.10/PUU-VI/2008," he explained.

"So far, political parties have only spoken very openly to provide opportunities for local native sons, but there are no mandatory rules. Even though local sons or not have the same obligation in understanding local issues in electoral districts, local sons are expected to have more emotional closeness to the local community than only domiciled," concluded Titi.