The Constitutional Court Changes The Termination Requirements For Regional Heads, Consulting KPU To The DPR And Government

KPU chairman Mochammad Afifuddin at the KPU building, Jakarta (Diah Ayu/VOI)

The General Election Commission (KPU) responded to two decisions of the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding the Regional Head Election (Pilkada (2024). The two decisions are related to the threshold for nominating candidates for heads and deputy regional heads in regional elections and the age requirements for regional head candidates taken during the determination by the KPU.

KPU chairman Mochammad Afifuddin said his party would consult first with the DPR and the government after the Constitutional Court's decision.

"We will conduct consultations with the DPR and the government in a hearing meeting related to the Constitutional Court's decision, and soon we will write an official letter to Commission II or the DPR," he said, Wednesday, August 21.

Afif explained that his party also needed to conduct a study related to the two decisions. This was done because the position of the Constitutional Court's decision was to take effect immediately without changing the law.

"We will review in more detail the copies of the Constitutional Court's decision, more comprehensively to fully understand the requirements for a constitutional regional head candidate after the Constitutional Court's decision," he said.

The two decisions that Afif meant were the Constitutional Court's decision Number 60/PUU-XXII/2024 which changed the threshold for the nomination of candidates for heads and deputy regional heads in the regional elections, as well as the Constitutional Court's decision Number 70/PUU-XXII/2024 regarding the age requirements for regional head candidates taken during the determination by the KPU.

Afif explained that his party would disseminate the two Constitutional Court decisions to political parties (political parties).

"Of course we will take other necessary steps in order to follow up on the Constitutional Court's decision before the registration stage for regional head candidates is carried out, including making changes to KPU Regulation Number 8 of 2024 in accordance with the mechanism for forming laws and regulations," he explained.

PKPU 8/2024 regulates the nomination of governors and deputy governors, regents and deputy regents, as well as mayors and deputy mayors.

Afif also conveyed that consultations would be carried out by taking into account the stages and schedules of the 2024 Pilkada as stated in KPU Regulation Number 2 of 2024 concerning the Stages and Schedules for the Election of Governors and Deputy Governors, Regents and Deputy Regents, as well as Mayors and Deputy Mayors of 2024.

"This means that the KPU as before will take the steps that we should have taken, consulted, discussed with the parties to then review the Constitutional Court's decision which was read out a few days before the registration period for regional head candidates will begin soon," he concluded.

It is known that the registration period for candidate heads and deputy regional heads starts on 27-29 August 2024.