The Government Approves The Revision Of The Terms Of Presidential And Vice Presidential Candidates In Accordance With The Constitutional Court's Decision

JAKARTA - The Honorary Council of Election Organizers (DKPP) to the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the revision of KPU Regulation Number 19 of 2023 concerning the Nomination of Participants in the General Election of the President and Vice President in accordance with the Constitutional Court Decision Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023.

The approval was conveyed by the Chairman of the DKPP RI Heddy Lugito and the Daily Executive Director General of Politics and General Government of the Ministry of Home Affairs Togap Simangungsong during a hearing (RDP) with Commission II of the DPR reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, October 31.

Before Togap and Heddy expressed their approval, KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari proposed a PKPU revision Number 19 of 2023 concerning the Candidacy of the President and Vice President as a follow-up to the Constitutional Court Decision Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 which allows regional heads to become presidential or vice presidential candidates, even though they are not yet 40 years old based on Article 169 letter (q) of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections.

"In the draft PKPU amendment Number 19 of 2023 in Article 13 paragraph 1 letter (q) it is determined that the requirement to become a presidential and vice presidential candidate is letter (q) at least 40 years old," said Hasyim.

"In the draft amendment to PKPU 19 of 2023 to Article 13 paragraph 1 letter (q), the requirements for becoming president and vice president are letters q at least 40 years old or have been held as positions elected through elections including regional head elections," he added.

After that, the Chairman of Commission II of the DPR Ahmad Doli Kurnia invited the Chairman of the DKPP Heddy Lugito to express his opinion regarding the KPU's steps in revising the provisions for the minimum age requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates which will be applied in the 2024 presidential election.

Chairman of the DKPP Heddy Lugito assessed that the requirements to become presidential and vice presidential candidates that were regulated no longer only contained the phrase "lowest age 40 years" but in the end, they were added by containing the word "or have/EEN in a position chosen to go through elections or elections".

For this reason, according to him, the KPU's steps to propose changes to PKPU Number 19 of 2023 can be understood in order to implement the Constitutional Court's Decision Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 on the matter test case of the norms of Article 160 letter (q) of the Election Law submitted by Surakarta University (UNSA) student Almas Tsaqibirru Re A.

"DKPP of course because the Constitutional Court's decision has already been read out and we all understand that since it was read, the decision has also been in effect. Therefore, DKPP supports the KPU's steps to update its PKPU," said Heddy.

"So that in the future there will be legal certainty so that after the presidential election there will be no prolonged legal problems," he continued.

Meanwhile, Acting Director General of Polpum, Ministry of Home Affairs, Togap Simangungsong, representing the government approved the KPU's proposal to include the provisions that regional heads may run for president or vice president into Article 13 letter (q) PKPU Number 19 of 2023.

"The government approved the intended PKPU draft," said Togap.