Cak Imin Values Constitutional Court Decision Opens PKB Opportunities To Propose Cadres As Presidential Candidates

Chairman of the National Awakening Party Muhaimin Iskandar (central) while giving a press statement at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Friday (3/1/2025). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus)

Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar assessed that the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding the threshold for a minimum presidential nomination or presidential threshold opens up opportunities for his party to propose cadres to become presidential candidates (candidates).

"Certainly, definitely (potential to advance cadres). Everyone welcomes the disbursement of democracy, but we also have experience if there are too many candidates who are unrealistic and also a waste," said the man who is familiarly called Cak Imin at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, January 3.

Cak Imin said the Constitutional Court's decision was a binding decision so that all parties had to submit. He also welcomed this, considering it was an important decision.

"If anyone's Constitutional Court decision must be submitted. The problem is that there is one chapter in that decision to return it to the maker of the Law (Law), later it will depend on the factions in the DPR," he said.

When asked about his chance to return to running for the upcoming presidential and vice presidential election contestation, the Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment said the process towards the direction was still long.

"It's still a long time, it's still a long time," he concluded.

The Constitutional Court has decided to abolish the provisions of the minimum threshold for the percentage of proposing pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates in Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections because it is contrary to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

"Granted the petitioners' petition in its entirety," said Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo when reading the verdict Number 62/PUU-XXII/2024 at the Plenary Court Session Room, Jakarta, Thursday.

The Constitutional Court views that the presidential threshold regulated in Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 closes and eliminates the constitutional rights of political parties participating in elections that do not have a percentage of valid votes nationally or the percentage of seats in the DPR in the previous election to propose pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Furthermore, the Constitutional Court learns the direction of Indonesia's political movement tends to always strive for every presidential and vice presidential election to only be followed by two pairs of candidates.

According to the Constitutional Court, this condition makes people easily trapped in polarization that threatens the integrity of Indonesia if it is not anticipated.

Therefore, the Constitutional Court stated that the presidential threshold stipulated in Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 is not only against the political rights and sovereignty of the people, but also violates morality, rationality, and intolerable injustice.