The Constitutional Court Rejects Lawsuit To Change The Age Of Candidates For Regional Heads, Affirms Calculated When Determination Of Candidates

Screenshot - Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Saldi Isra, read out legal considerations for Decision Number 70/PUU-XXII/2024/DOK BETWEEN

JAKARTA - The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected the request for judicial review of the Pilkada Law regarding the age limit for regional head candidates. The panel of judges of the Constitutional Court rejected a lawsuit asking the Constitutional Court to regulate the terms of age for regional head candidates (cakada) as counted at the time of the inauguration of the candidate pair. "Reject the applicant's application in its entirety," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo in reading the verdict at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, August 20. According to the Constitutional Court, the rules in Article 7 paragraph 2 letter e of the Pilkada Law do not need to be added by other meanings. The age limit for regional head candidates has also been in effect in several previous stages of regional elections. "Therefore, the legal consideration of the Constitutional Court's decision number 70/PUU-XXII/2024 mutatis mutants applies also as legal consideration in assessing the constitutionality of the norms of Article 7 paragraph 2 letter e of Law 10/2016 which the applicant requested above," he said. Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra emphasized that the age limit for regional head candidates is at least 25 years for regent-deputy regent-deputy regent and mayor-deputy mayor as well as a minimum of 30 years for candidates for governor-deputy governors should be counted during the appointment of candidates. "In this regard, it is important for the Court to emphasize the point or limit to determine the minimum age, which is carried out in the nomination process which leads to the determination of regional head candidates and candidates for deputy regional heads," said Saldi Isra.

In this decision, Constitutional Court Judge Anwar Usman, who is President Joko Widodo's brother-in-law, decided not to take part in deciding applications related to age conditions. This was conveyed by the Court so that all parties do not have any suspicion about the case examination process regarding the norms of article 7 paragraph (2) letter e of the Pilkada Law.