Ahok Regarding The Constitutional Court Changes The Threshold For Pilkada Suspension: Change The Map Of Candidacy Throughout Indonesia

Chairman of the DPP for the PDIP Economy Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (ANTARA/Narda Margaretha Sinambela)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the PDI-P (PDIP) DPP Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) responded to the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) which rules the threshold for nomination of regional heads in the regional elections. The Constitutional Court allows parties to have no seats in the DPRD to participate in carrying out regional head candidates.

The Constitutional Court decided that parties or coalitions of parties carry cagub-cawagub with a minimum of 7.5 percent of the legal votes for legislative elections (pileg) in provinces with a population of 6-12 million such as Jakarta.

Previously, there were parties that could not carry regional head candidates because the number of seats or votes in the DPRD did not meet the minimum requirements. With this decision, Ahok assessed that the constellation of regional election nominations in many regions would change.

"This may change the entire nomination map throughout Indonesia," Ahok said in a short message, Tuesday, August 20.

Previously, PDIP was hampered in carrying out the candidate for Governor-Deputy Governor of Jakarta because almost all political parties joined the Ridwan Kamil-Suswono coalition.

Now, after the Constitutional Court's decision, the PDIP DPP immediately held an internal meeting to rearrange the strategy for nominating regional heads in the 2024 Pilkada.

"We are waiting for the results of the DPP meeting. Thank you for your attention and support," continued Ahok.

The panel of judges at the Constitutional Court granted part of the request for judicial review of Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning the Election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors (UU Pilkada). Where, political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the previous election can nominate candidates for regional heads even though they do not have DPRD seats.

"Granted the petitioners' petition for part," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo when reading the verdict at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, August 20.

The Constitutional Court stated that Article 40 paragraph (3) of the Unconstitutional Regional Head Election Law. Where, political parties or coalitions of political parties propose that pairs of candidates use the provisions to obtain at least 25 percent of the accumulation of valid votes as referred to in paragraph (1), this provision only applies to political parties that obtain seats on the representative council of the regional people.

Then, the Constitutional Court changed the contents of the article by stating that political parties or coalitions of political parties can register candidates if the province with a population of people contained in the voter list remains more than 6 million to 12 million people, political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the election must obtain a valid vote of at least 7.5 percent in the province.

If you look at the mapping of candidacy in the Jakarta Pilkada, there are already 12 political parties that will carry the Ridwan Kamil-Suswono pair. Only the PDI Perjuangan (PDIP), political parties, obtained around 14 percent of the votes in the DKI Jakarta DPRD legislative election.

So, with this putsan, PDIP can still carry Jakarta cagubs without having to look for coalition political parties. Likewise with Anies Baswedan, who is still likely to be promoted by political parties to become the Jakarta cagub.